Taiping Railway Station

Taiping has two railway station buildings:

• the old railway station, and
• the new railway station

The newer building sits adjacent to the old building, but there is no mistaking the two as they look nothing alike. The new station building functions as the main arrival and departure point for trains in and out of Taiping. The newer building was completed and began operations on 24th February 2014. A newer building was needed to replace the aging station and to accommodate the newer electric trains coming into service. The older railway station building has been converted into a mini-museum and food court. There are several restaurants, a barber, and a popular burger joint.

The older railway station was built in 1910 and ceased operations in 2014, having provided more than 100 years of service. The old Taiping Railway Station building is still preserved in its original architecture and has been designated a National Heritage site. It is also a popular tourist destination, and across the street is a row of eateries, usually fully-occupied during lunch hours. The old railway station building is also stop number 21 on the Taiping Heritage Trail.

Taiping is also home to the first railroad in Malaysia, which at the time, was not a country as of yet. The first railroad in the Malay States began construction in 1881 and first commenced operations on June 1, 1885. The very first railway station was built at the site where the Kind Edward VII primary school now stands and extended to Port Weld. The original station was relocated to where the old railway station now is in 1910, when the railroad was extended north. The main reason behind the establishment of the rail line was to ease transport of tin from the mines in Taiping to ships harbored in Port Weld heading for Penang. Before the railroad, tin was moved upriver to the port by small boats, and by elephants.

Interesting points to note about Malaysia’s first railroad:

• The line was principally built to carry cargo, and not people.
• The project was initiated by foreign investors and managed by a foreign imperial government.
• Funding for the project, which benefited private commercial interests, came from public funds.

Relics from Taiping’s rich railroad history can still be seen at the Town Council Gallery, where an old diesel locomotive named Telok Chempedak, as well as part of an old railway overhead crossing are exhibited. There is an old steam engine and a 19th-century rail carriage on display at the Perak Museum, also in Taiping.

The Taiping Railway Station is stop number 21 on the Taiping Heritage Trail.