RAIL enthusiast and social media star Francis Bourgeois appeared on BBC Earth’s The Travel Show: My Great Malaysian Railway Adventure last Sunday, as he embarked on his first-ever journey through Malaysia to uncover the country’s fascinating railway heritage.
Known for inspiring a new generation of train spotters through his passion for trains, Bourgeois explored how Malaysia has reinvented and restored the infrastructure left by the British and how train travel works in more demanding terrain.
Starting in Kuala Lumpur, Bourgeois helped engineers to prepare the Great Leisure Heritage Train for its highly anticipated relaunch in June, making it Malaysia’s only steam-powered service on the mainland. He then boarded a revived luxury railway, Asia’s version of the Orient Express, to get an insider’s look at how fine dining is prepared in a kitchen smaller than a cupboard on the Eastern & Oriental Express.
Venturing deep into the Taman Negara rainforest, Bourgeois discovered how Malaysia’s train revival has aided in conservation efforts to protect the critically endangered Malayan Tiger while the Jungle Railway connects some of the most remote towns and villages in the country’s interior.
The captivating rail adventure across Malaysia is available on Unifi TV channel 501, Astro channel 554 and BBC Player.
