SINCE 2016, over 2.6 million passengers have taken the Southern Express train from Gemas to Johor Baru and now it has made its final journey.
Among those who were determined to be among the last passengers to bid it farewell for sentimental reasons was 62-year-old Halim Said.
He worked closed to four decades at Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd’s (KTMB) Gemas station, first as a ticketing clerk, then rail quality inspector, before retiring in 2023.
On Dec 31, he and his wife, Noor Aini Senawi, 52, took the morning train from Gemas to the JB Sentral Railway Station and waited patiently to ride the last train back to where they started.
“I decided to board the train so that I could witness this moment as it means a lot to me.
“It was through my job at the station that I was able to provide for my family and educated my five children.
“It’s a very special moment, so I do not mind waiting.
“I want to be the last person to leave the train, so I plan to wait until everyone has disembarked,” he told reporters at the Johor Baru station.
Factory operator P. Shalini, who works in Singapore, said the Southern Express was convenient and provided a smooth journey back to Kluang, her hometown.
“I just started using the train since working in Singapore about six months ago.
“It really made life easy. I could just take the Tebrau Shuttle from Singapore to here, before hopping on this train to get home.”
Shalini said she planned to use the Electric Train Service (ETS) after this “since it will soon be offering more trips, allowing me more options”.
Another passenger from Singapore, sales executive Benenett Sai, 31, who was headed to Kulai, also got the chance to ride the train before the service was terminated.
“I rarely use this service but I happened to have something to do in Kulai and decided to take the train.
“I’ve probably only boarded it thrice, but I am glad that I get to ride it again before it becomes part of railway history.”
In a statement last week, KTMB announced the end of its nine-year Southern Express, Gemas-JB Sentral-Gemas train service effective Jan 1.
KTMB chief operating officer Afzar Zakariya said the service had played an important role in facilitating the movement of people.
It received encouraging response over the years, with an average of 800 to 1,000 passengers per day for six daily services comprising three outward and three return journeys.
