Main Image The Star

Did you know Melaka had its own railway service till the World War II.? It was laid by the British administration in 1905, and holds many memories for residents nearby, who until today, are known as the “Melaka Railway Children”.

The Tampin-Melaka rail service was discontinued during the Japanese occupation. A signboard with the word “Alor Gajah” and part of an abandoned concrete platform are all that is left of the railway service.

95-Year-Old R. Papathi Raju who still lives close to the ruins of the Alor Gajah Railway station in Pengkalan, is the only known survivor of the Melaka Railway Children.

Speaking to The Star, Madam Papathi shares her memories of the long forgotten railway service.  

"It was the most convenient and only mode of public transport for people in Negri Sembilan and Melaka to reach the heart of the historic city in the mid-1900s," she said.

She lived just a short distance of 100m away from the station with her father who owned a grocery and restaurant at the station. As a child she spent most of her time at the station which served as a playground many young kids.

The 32km rail line from Pulau Sebang in Tampin ended at a street, which is now known as Jalan Hang Tuah, the railroad used to connect Tampin in Negri Sembilan to the Melaka city.

The Melaka railway service was discontinued after Japanese occupation of Malaya. The train tracks along the Melaka line were dismantled by the Japanese army and transported to the Thailand and Myanmar border as materials for the 415km-long railway, where some 102,000 workers eventually died.

Info Via: The Star

Do you know a story of our forgotten history? Tell us in the comments!

Written by Thineshkan