This iconic red coach is now history

Frequent breakdowns of Penang's Victorian hill trains and stranded tourists are the reasons that the Penang state government gave as reasons for discontinuing its rickety Victorian funicular railway and upgrading it to a more modern system after 87 years in service.

No more will residents and tourists be charmed by the sight of the four iconic red coaches as they slowly made their way up the steep Penang Hill, pulled by huge cables. Instead the entire service will be upgraded to the tune of RM63 million (US$18 million), funded by the Federal government.

The end product will be air-conditioned new coaches with glass roofs (pictured right) to allow view of the beautiful scenery. They will also take visitors up the hill non-stop, unlike the old system requiring passengers to change trains at the middle station.

In a media statement the Penang state government said the new system would join the two tracks into one and a new passing loop would be built about 100m above the present middle station. The journey will be shorter – 10 minutes compared with 30 minutes on the funicular.

There will only be two coaches, which can carry 100 passengers. The new trains will have a maximum capacity of 1,000 passengers per hour compared to 250 in the funicular system. The upgrading of the service is expected to be ready in seven months.

Despite such an “enticing” new product Malaysians, foreign visitors, environmentalists and just about anyone who have had the pleasurable experience of chugging up to Penang Hill (pictured left) on this iconic train have all cried out in protest.

While agreeing that the upgrading work is necessary due to the numerous technical hitches and frequent disruptions to the hill railway service, there is no necessity to replace the historic trains with modern carriages.

Perhaps the words of Sue Harberger, a tourist from Canada, best expressed the feelings of most of us who received the news with a mixture of horror and disbelief. She had visited Penang twice in the past five years and she listed the ride on the Penang Hill railway as one of the trips’ highlights.

Parts of the letter she wrote to one of the Malaysian daily newspapers read: “Would San Francisco replace their trolley cars or New York replace their harbour ferries or Vancouver replace the Lion’s Gate Bridge just because newer options exist.

“This would be foolish and valuable tourist revenue would disappear. If work need to be done on the Penang Railway, preserving the character, the route, the vegetation and the original equipment must be top priority. As a famous Canadian, Joni Mitchell, pointed out: ‘You don’t know what you got till it’s gone’.”

Beautiful stone wall of a hillside house

I could not agree more. Having been on the train recently I did not relish shooting up the hill in 10 minutes, cocooned in ultra modern air-conditioned coaches. I also do not need glass roofs to look at the lush scenery when I can look out of the windows at the greenery and getting glimpses of animals scampering around the trees as the train chugs up the hill.

And the fun of changing coaches mid-way - the pushing by some impatient passengers to rush to the other train, so much part and parcel of the charm of this age-old service and so Malaysian. How could anything possibly replace this?

The hill may not have a lot to offer but the simple joys of enjoying a bird’s view of Penang from the hilltop, strolling along the cool paths, visiting the Indian temple, stopping by various stalls to have a burger or ice-cream and venturing into one of the hotels to pass a cool afternoon with tea and scones.

Indian temple on the hill

The hill's facilities and establishments are a bit rundown. Perhaps the RM63 million could be put to better use - upgrade the facilities for visitors, build a nice food court cum shopping centre instead of having the food and souvenir stalls lining the roads, clean toilets and landscaping. The stations both down and up the hill could do with some upgrading too.

This latest development made me ask once again, why are so many heritage houses and historic monuments demolished in Malaysia in the name of progress and safety? A nation, which does not preserve its heritage, will slowly but surely lose part of its soul along the way.

But in this case, again, there is no going back. It is a done deal, as they say. The antique funicular trains are already part of history, and all we can remember of them are the photos we took and memories of the leisurely rides we had.

The next time I visit Penang the new, comfortable trains will be in service. Will I try them out? Probably not, for if you have been on the funicular trains the new ones will be poor substitutes, for me at least. I rather trudge up the hill and exercise in the progress.

• Photos courtesy of Corinne Wan