I supposedly took the E&O Express once. But I was like 3 or
4 yrs old then, and can't remember a slightest bit of the journey.
Mid 90's IIRC. Went with my parents and my Korean aunts. Back then,
it was the earlier years of operations too.
I was just wondering, why doesn't the E&O Express holding
company buy a few diesel locos to run its own operation throughout
SEAsia hauling its own carriages and operate as a private company
utilising(and thus paying) KTM and SRT royalty fees for track
usage? Does renting KTM and SRT locos make more sense cost-wise in
the long haul? After all, most, if not all of SEAsia uses metre
gauge right? The locos could be based out of Butterworth as you
mention that Butterworth terminus is an end-on terminal and trains
need to reverse out the other end.
Maybe customs could be carried out on the train as per other
countries? It would seem more professional also. I guess it would
solve a lot of manpower on the train and on ground actually if the
train doesn't need to stop at the border for border checks etc.
E&OE has its own company. They just rent the right-of-way,
locomotives and drivers (inclusive of Train Guard). The coaches do
not belong to KTM/SRT.
Why should they waste to get locomotives to run, when KTM has it
and can be rented as and when it needs to run. After all, the
E&OE doesn't run every week, it runs, like once/twice a
month.
From Butterworth, they will then proceed on to Padang Besar.
Passports are collected while passengers are on the train. This
means, no passengers will be alighting at Padang Besar for customs
immigration. When this goes on, KTM locomotives will exchange with
the SRT locomotives.
