A rail revival

If train travel makes you snigger, think about the time when it wasn’t a choice, but a necessity.

THERE’S something dreadfully unglamorous about train travel in Malaysia. Whether it’s jostling with the huddled masses at the platform or holding your breath until you turn blue in the public urinal, a trip aboard any old train isn’t exactly an average Malaysian’s cup of tea. Unless it’s the Eastern & Oriental Express, the rich avoid it like the plague and the poor ... well, let’s just say their options are limited.