All aboard the ‘jungle train’, Malaysia’s last remaining traditional rail journey

The limestone hills along the jungle train route provide a stunning pictorial of the rail journey.

With a deep rumble and a lurch forward, the Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) diesel-powered locomotive slowly departed from the Kempas railway station in Johor Baru, sending a thrill of excitement through me.

I was about to embark on an extraordinary journey through Malaysia’s densest rainforests, an epic 16-hour train ride over 700km to Tumpat.