Great Malaysian Railway Journeys
TANJUNG MALIM

I wrote these Great Malaysian Railway Journey pages during the period 2014-2017. They used to be hosted on a separate Weebly website but since mid 2026 Weebly is no longer available for customers in Malaysia so I am transferring the content here.

THE STATION

The new station is spacious and airy and more or less identical to all the modern stations on the electrified double track ETS line between KL and Ipoh.

The old station is still standing about a hundred metres away. It is now being used as a restaurant and seems fairly popular.

Old Station Master's Office

Both the old and the new stations are visible in this photo.

WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE

Here are a few of the sights which are within walking distance of Tanjung Malim station:

Jalan Besar, Tanjung Malim

TOWN CENTRE

Tanjung Malim is about 70km north of Kuala Lumpur and sits just inside Perak's border with Selangor.

The heart of the town comprises two streets of shophouses built in the early 20th centry by Hokkien immigrants.

Tanjung Malim is infamous in history for being collectively punished by General Sir Gerald Templer (High Commissioner for the Federation) for the residents' 'cowardly silence' during the Malayan Emergency. The area was a hotbed of communist activity and following the murder of Assistant District Officer Michael Codner and 13 others on the night of 24 March 1952, Templer punished the whole town for failing to disclose information on the terrorists. The punishment included a 22 hour daily curfew, cordoning off the entire town with barbed wire, closure of schools and transport services and reduction of rice rations. The authorities went house to house to encourage the residents to submit information, which could be given anonymously in sealed boxes. As a result of information submitted, 28 suspected communist collaborators were arrested, among them several prosperous shopkeepers. Whether they were all truly sympathisers or whether this was just settling old scores remains unknown. The curfew was lifted after 14 days and the tactic of collective punishment was dropped a few months later after criticism in Parliament for being contrary to the British idea of fair play.

Masjid Jamik Tanjong Malim

MASJID JAMIK TANJONG MALIM

Close to the station is Masjid Jamik Tanjong Malim, a graceful colonial era mosque designed in Moghul style by British architects. A plaque inside bears the date 1932 but part of the building is said to have been built in 1926 and possibly earlier.

Sultan Idris Training College

SULTAN IDRIS TRAINING COLLEGE

The Sultan Idris Training College for Malay teachers was founded in 1917 by the Malay Federated States and Straits Settlement assistant director of education, R.O. Winstedt.

The establishment has since been expanded to become a university, UPSI.

The UPSI National Education Museum is located here.

Rumah Rehat

REST HOUSE 1880

Just off Jalan Besar is a small lane leading to an old blue painted building, the Rumah Rehat or Rest House.

This dates from 1880 and over the years must have accommodated many visiting officials, VIPs and businessmen. The rest house's restaurant was famed for its Mee Hailam and Chicken Chop.

It now appears to have closed down. Hopefully the building will be preserved.

Police Station

TANJUNG MALIM POLICE STATION

Next door to the mosque is the town's police station. This is a pre-war building which would have been the focus of action during the events of the Malayan Emergency as described above.

OTHER INTERESTING BUILDINGS WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE OF THE STATION

Sri Panchamoorthy Krishnar Temple

Heritage Building

Old Shophouses

Street Scene

NEARBY

Just 5km north of Tanjung Malim is Proton City, a new township with industrial, commercial and residential areas and home to the manufacturing plant for Proton, Malaysia's first domestic automobile manufacturer.

Previous Stop: Behrang

Next Stop: Kuala Kubu Baru

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AUTHOR BIO

David (the one on the left) is the writer behind Malaysia Traveller, sharing first-hand travel advice from over five decades of living and travelling across Asia and the Middle East. Based in Malaysia since 2009 and now in Kuching, he has published over 790 pages on this website, personally visited every place he covers, and uses only his own photos. Readers can learn more on his About Me page. He also shares updates on Facebook and YouTube. He loves uncovering overlooked places that even some Malaysians have never visited.