The Rantau Panjang railway station was a

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...

located near Jalan Besar and named after the town of

Rantau Panjang Rantau Panjang ( Jawi: رنتاو ڤنجڠ) ( Thai: รันเตาปันจัง) is a daerah (subdistrict/commune) and also a parliamentary constituency in Pasir Mas District, Kelantan, Malaysia. Geography Rantau Panjang is located nea ...

Kelantan Kelantan (; Jawi: ; Kelantanese Malay: ''Klate'') is a state in Malaysia. The capital is Kota Bharu and royal seat is Kubang Kerian. The honorific name of the state is ''Darul Naim'' (Jawi: ; "The Blissful Abode"). Kelantan is located in th ...

. Opened in 1921, it is located on the Rantau Panjang branch line, branching off from the main

KTM East Coast Line The East Coast railway line (ECRL) is the single track metre gauge runs between Gemas railway station, in Negeri Sembilan and Tumpat railway station, in Kelantan of Malaysia. Gemas is the rail junction between the West Coast line and East Coast ...

at Pasir Mas. Rantau Panjang is one of the two rail border crossings on the border with Thailand (the other is

Padang Besar railway station The Padang Besar railway station (''Stesen Keretapi Padang Besar'') is a railway station located at and named after the border town of Padang Besar, Perlis in Malaysia. It is the northernmost station of the west coast line where the line connect ...

Perlis Perlis, ( Northern Malay: ''Peghelih''), also known by its honorific title Perlis Indera Kayangan, is the smallest state in Malaysia by area and population. Located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia, it borders the Thai provinces ...

), though currently there is no cross-border train crossing the

Malaysia–Thailand border The Malaysia–Thailand border divides the countries of Malaysia and Thailand and consists of a land boundary running for 595 km (370 mi) across the Malay Peninsula and maritime boundaries in the Straits of Malacca and the Gulf of Thaila ...

at Rantau Panjang. The Thai entrance to the Harmony rail bridge is currently sealed off by the Royal Thai Army.Three Southern Border Provinces Tour: Red Zones and Forgotten Ways
/ref>

Services

The station was previously served by both

Keretapi Tanah Melayu Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) (Jawi: كريتاڤي تانه ملايو برحد) or Malayan Railways Limited is the main rail operator in Peninsular Malaysia. The railway system dates back to the British colonial era, when it was firs ...

and State Railway of Thailand trains. Later, Thai

diesel multiple units A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are also ...

(DMUs) took up the entire schedule, which rose unexpected numbers of passengers, resulting in protests by the railcar drivers against terminating the DMU services at

Wakaf Bharu Wakaf Bharu () is a satellite town in Tumpat District, Kelantan, Malaysia. Facilities Beside the mosque and several surau, there is also a church in Wakaf Bharu. Examples of housing estates in Wakaf Bharu area are Kawasan Perumahan SBJ (), Tam ...

and Tumpat. The protests led to the discontinuation of the cross-border SRT services and the station fell into disuse. Trains between

and

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

cross the border at Padang Besar railway station in

, on the

western branch Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US * Western, New York, a town in the US * Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia * Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that ...

of the Malaysian network.

2008 flooding between Pondok Tanjung and Bukit Merah, Malaysia

During some flash floods in certain parts of Malaysia in 2008, the station and its railway tracks served as an emergency route for the

Eastern and Oriental Express The Eastern & Oriental Express is a luxury train that carries passengers between Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand. It runs between Singapore's Woodlands Train Checkpoint and Bangkok, stopping at Kuala Lumpur, Butterworth, and Kanchanaburi, t ...

trains, through Su-ngai Kolok, when the Pondok Tanjung–Bukit Merah part of the mainline were unusable causing a direct divert. After the diversions, the station and the tracks went back to their current state.

References

{{reflist Pasir Mas District Railway stations opened in 1921 Railway stations in Kelantan KTM East Coast Line stations

Services

2008 flooding between Pondok Tanjung and Bukit Merah, Malaysia

See also

References