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The First Ipoh Railway Station
This unused, divided back, postcard photograph was originally published in the Perak Government Gazette. It shows rickshaw coolies and their rickshaws waiting for passengers outside the first Ipoh Railway Station.
The authorised fares were based on 15 cents per mile or part thereof, plus 5 cents per mile to return to the starting point empty. This equated to $2 for a journey from Ipoh to Papan, a distance of 9.5 miles (15.2Km) each way! There is no record of how long the journey would take.
This station was a wood and attap affair, built as the railway came to Ipoh in early 1894. The first stretch of the track linked Ipoh to Batu Gajah, the opening being officiated by Sultan idris of Perak. By 1900 the main North - South railway line extended from Prai (Penang) to Seremban. The following year the pioneering Perak State Railway and the Selangor Railways amalgamated to become the Federated Malay States Railways (FMSR).
This First Ipoh Railway Station was replaced in 1917 by the very grand Ipoh Railway Station and Hotel.
To read more about Ipoh Railway Station and Hotel, click here.
To read a brief history of the Rickshaw, click here.
To read more about The Federated Malay States Railway (FMSR), click here.