Old Penang – Ferry services (updated)

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This was a ferry shuttling to and from the Malayan Railway jetty along Weld Quay on the island and the railway station at Prai Junction on the mainland.

The S S Violet shuttling between Weld Quay and the Prai Junction Railway Station
The SS Violet shuttling between Weld Quay and the Prye Railway Station – Photo: Anything Goes blog

Passengers could buy a rail ticket from the Malayan Railway office along Weld Quay and then board a ferry at the Malayan Railway jetty for a 25-minute ride to the Prye Harbour, where they would alight and then board a train at the Prai (previously spelt as Pry or Prye) Railway Station. (The Butterworth Railway Station was only opened in 1967 after the construction of a swing bridge across the Prai River allowed the track to be extended from Prai to Butterworth.)

Straits Steamship ferry at the Prye Harbour - Imprint: S.M. Manicum, Penang, Province Wellesley, Straits Settlements, Source: Wade Collection, arecabooks.com
Straits Steamship ferry steamer at the Prye Harbour –
Imprint: S.M. Manicum, Penang, Province Wellesley, Straits Settlements,
Source: Wade Collection, arecabooks.com, visionsofpenang.com.my
Trolleybus 36 passing by the Railway Jetty at Weld Quay
Trolleybus 36 passing by the Railway Jetty at Weld Quay – Photo via Ric Francis

Blog visitor Joseph Manuel recalls:

I used to use the rail ferry from Prai to Penang to attend St Xavier’s. The rail steam boats we used in 1945-47 were SS Elizabeth and SS Mary. SS Violet was not in service then as it was damaged during the Japanese occupation of Malaya. I can remember seeing it in the dry dock in Prai around 1946.

Back then, in the post-war years, there were three ferries – the SS Violet, Elizabeth and a smaller vessel Pelangi – plying this route, according to a former Malayan Railway employee, now in his eighties.

The SS Violet could take a couple of cars – but only those belonging to railway officers were allowed – on the lower deck. This ferry was also involved in the evacuation of British personnel and their families when the Japanese were advancing on Penang Island from the north.

There may have been another ferry, Ibrahim, before the war.

Blog visitor Frank recalls:

The special thing about those railway ferries was their warming up period. I used to fish next to the Prai terminal until early morning; they started warming up at 3.00am. No wonder those ferries sailed without you knowing it, hundred times smoother with little vibration or noise as compared to their newer cousins…

The Prai jetty continued to serve the area in the 1950s and 1960s, even after the Sultan Abdul Halim Terminal, Butterworth was built in 1956. This new terminal on the mainland provided a ferry service to the Raja Tun Uda Terminal, next to the Railway Jetty along Weld Quay on Penang Island.

he Sultan Abdul Halim Terminal in Butterworth, collapsed on 31 July 1988 as a result of overcrowding on the upper deck during the St Anne’s and Kwan Yin festivities. (The collapsed terminal was never rebuilt, forcing more commuters to use the Penang Bridge, which had opened in 1985, as the number of ferries was halved.)

Old ferry terminal - I am not sure if this was on the mainland or the island. - Photograph: raafschool.com
Old ferry terminal – Photograph: raafschoolpenang.com

Blog visitor Old Penang Guy says:

The photo of the ferry jetty (above) is that on the island ie. Raja Uda Terminal as you can see the ticketing booth. On the mainland terminal, you should only see a wall panel for the customs check point and a central outlet for people to move out from the terminal. Over on the mainland terminal, the ticketing booth is at the side of the building, currently the location of the present terminal.

An older ferry from George Town to Butterworth in the 1950s
An older ferry from George Town to Butterworth in the 1950s

A senior citizen tells me there was an even older small pre-war jetty at Bagan in Butterworth town, at the Old Jetty Road, near the Sree Maha Mariamman Devasthanam Temple. But this was probably only as a landing place for goods, shipped by tongkang.

In addition, a sampan service provided rides across the mouth of the Prai River from the Prai jetty to Ujung Batu along Jalan Assumption in Butterworth. Prai residents used this mode of transport to get to the Nativity Church in Butterworth.

A chain (later wire) ferry also carried commuters across from Prai to Chain Ferry Road in Butterworth before the Tunku Abdul Rahman Bridge was opened in 1966.

If you have any old photos that might be of interest, please submit them here.

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KS Neoh
KS Neoh
13 Jun 2020 8.11pm

dear Mr Anil,
 
I love your very interesting posts about old Penang. Can you please tell me, what is the name of their pier shown in the photo attached here? Thank you.

Alvin
Alvin
18 Dec 2013 10.34pm

Here is an interesting tidbit, the ports, from Keppel Harbour in Singapore to Port Swettenham( Port Klang ,now ) and the Penang ports were managed by Malayan Railways ( KTMB,now) !

looes74
looes74
18 Dec 2013 9.12pm

Anil,
Just as you reminisce the good old Penang. Ipoh also not bad too. It’s the cleanest town in Malaysia during the 50s, 60s & 70s.

http://ipohworld.org/blog/

http://www.ipohworld.org/blog/?p=1401

Old Penang Guy
Old Penang Guy
18 Dec 2013 5.02pm

Anil,
The photo of the ferry jetty is that on the Island ie. Raja Uda terminal as you can see the ticketing booth. ON the mainland terminal on the you should only see wall panel for the customs check point and a central outlet for people to move out from the terminal. Over on the main land terminal the ticketing booth is at the side of the building currently the location of the present terminal.

JosephR Manuel
JosephR Manuel
5 Aug 2018 12.36am
Reply to  Anil Netto

I used to use the Rail Ferry Prai to Penang to attend St.Xaviers.
The Rail Steam boats we used in 1945/46/47 were SS.Elizabeth and SS Mary.
SS.Violet was not in service then as it was damaged during the Japanese occupation of Malaya.I can remember seeing it in the dry dock in Prail around 1946.Does anyone have or have access to photographs of the other two ferries: SS.ELIZABETH and SS.MARY.

Frank
Frank
18 Dec 2013 4.07pm

The special things about those railways ferry were their warming up period, I use to fish next to the Prai terminal until early morning, they start warming up at 3 am. No wonder those ferries sail without you knowing it, hundred times smoother with little vibration or noise as compared to their newer cousin…

Hobbits Eyeing Penang Hill
Hobbits Eyeing Penang Hill
18 Dec 2013 10.48am

Things retro making a comeback at anilnetto.com? Nikon did just that (late on the heels of Sony) with Nikon Df camera harking sentiments back to the manual dials days of FM2 and FE cameras, which are still holding better value as “functional” collector items. Maybe, just maybe Pg state government dares to resurrect the old world charm of George Town while let the bin chui development thrive on other parts like Batu Maung, Batu Ferringhi, Balik Pulau and Batu Kawan. In the longer run, things retro Penang will definitely, “functionally” outlast any post modernism development and bring in the tourism… Read more »

Don Anamalai
Don Anamalai
18 Dec 2013 10.47am

Anil is bringing us to the nostalgic trip of the old day (to soothe the pain caused by ‘Tales from Yang’?), knowing that come 2014 we will all be hit by ‘Tsunami Barang Naik’ generated by the hike in toll price, petrol price, electricity price, transportation price, cukai pintu, sugar price …etc.. Najib protect his fixed deposit in civil service (1.4 million beneficiaries) by announcing pay hike yesterday, so that the Cuepacs chief can retire with great honor.