In 1894, a new
stretch of the Kinta Valley Railway opened between Ipoh and
Batu Gajah, with virtually identical railway stations in both
towns.
In 1896, 36 wagons were entirely built in the Ipoh workshop, "only the iron-work, wheels and axles
having been imported from England".
The construction of the present railway station and hotel
began in 1914 but was interrupted due to a shortage of
materials and high costs of labour during World War I.
Completed in 1917, the station has three platforms, commodious
offices for railway staff, and a restaurant and bar.
The
hotel at first had 17 bedrooms opening out to the deep upper
verandah; this was upgraded to 21 rooms by 1936.
The
ground floor loggia, which is 183m long, runs the entire
length of the station's frontage.
The Ipoh Railway Station was designed by the Government
Architect, A. B. Hubback, with classical elements harnessed to
the British "Raj" style, surmounted by Moorish domes
and turrets. Hubback was also the architect for the
ornate Kuala Lumpur Railway Station, completed in 1911, after
working on the final stages of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building
designed by R. A. J. Bidwell.
A traveller from Medan, Sumatra, who visited Ipoh in the 1920s
called the Ipoh Railway Station "number two" after
the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station. According to another
description, "The size and magnificence of the Railway
Station, with its first class hotel accommodation on the upper
floor, gives the stranger a hint as to the wealth and
importance of the town of Ipoh".
An automobile guide of
1925 stated that "The railway hotel at Ipoh supplies the
best accommodation to be found in Perak - nice airy rooms,
up-to-date sanitary arrangements, the best of
food".
To the locals, the Railway Station is the
"Taj Mahal of Ipoh". The landscaped garden in
front of the Railway Station accentuates its sense of
grandeur. |
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