At the small village of Karai, about ten kilometers from Kuala Kangsar, is an old railway bridge called Victoria Bridge aka Enggor Bridge. It is the oldest railway bridge in Malaysia and one of the most impressive.
Construction started in 1897 and, after some delays caused by flooding, it was officially opened in 1900 in a ceremony attended by the Sultan Idris Shah of Perak and the British Resident General, Sir Frank Swettenham. In his speech, Sir Frank said that this was the largest bridge in Asia, outside of India.
The single track railway truss bridge is over 1000 feet long and rests on six brick piers which still look in excellent condition despite the frequent severe flooding in this area.
The Victoria Bridge remained in use until 2002, when a wider concrete girder bridge built parallel to the old bridge was completed to take over the role of handling rail traffic. The new bridge is significantly wider, with room to support a second track, but in its early life it was only required to handle a single track until double tracking and electrification was conducted between the Ipoh-Padang Besar line during the late-2000s and early-2010s.
While the old bridge is closed to rail traffic, its adjoining footbridge is still publicly open to motorcycles and pedestrians. Attempts have been made to retain the structure, with occasional maintenance having been conducted on it. Victoria Bridge has become a minor tourist attraction, with signage set up to inform visitors about its history. It is a popular spot for photoshoots.
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