Kuala Lumpur Railway Station
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The Kuala Lumpur Railway Station (Malay: Stesen Keretapi Kuala Lumpur) is a train station located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Completed in 1910, the station was a major railway hub in the city for the Federated Malay States Railway and Malayan Railway (Malay: Keretapi Tanah Melayu), before Kuala Lumpur Sentral assume much of the station's role in 2001. The station is also notable for it architecture, adopting a mixture of Eastern and Western designs.
The station is located at Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin, previously known as Victory Avenue, which in turn was part of Damansara Road. The station is located close to the similarly designed Railway Administration Building, as well as the National Mosque and Dayabumi Complex. The Pasar Seni LRT station is located 400 metres from the station, across the Klang River.
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[edit] History
[edit] Preceding stations
Prior to the construction of the current Kuala Lumpur station, two stations were already operational in the city.
The first Kuala Lumpur Railway Station, nicknamed the Resident Station due to its proximity with the residence of the British Resident, was erected on the current site of the present Kuala Lumpur Railway Station. Constructed with wooden materials and a nipah palm roof, it pioneered the city's railway development by linking Kuala Lumpur to Klang (Pengkalan Batu), via the first railway line to connect Kuala Lumpur with the rest of the Malay Peninsula (officially inaugurated September 22, 1886).
The second station, known as the Sultan Street Station, was constructed in 1892 at Foch Avenue (now Tun Tan Cheng Lock Road), close to where the Maybank Tower and Puduraya is currently. The station, which based its design on the Resident Station, served a new line which branched off north of the 1910 station, and connects mines from Ampang to the city. The line was unique in that the initial leg of the track approaching the Sultan Street Station from the main line was sandwiched between two lanes of Foch Avenue's road, cutting across the east side of the city.
The Resident Station was demolished as the current Kuala Lumpur station began operation. Meanwhile, the Sultan Street Station was replaced by a smaller terminal station when the tracks at Foch Avenue was dismantled for road traffic, and was finally demolished after 1960. The remains of the Ampang-linked line is partially reused in the Ampang LRT line.
[edit] Design, construction and operation
Arthur Benison Hubback, a British Architectural Assistant to the Director of Public Works, undertook the design of the station. Having served in India earlier, Hubback utilised his knowledge of Anglo-Asian architecture in the region to model the station. The "Neo-Moorish/Mughal/Neo-Saracenic" style is not uncommon at the time. Similar structures such as the Sultan Abdul Samad Building (designed by A.C. Norman, completed 1895), the Old City Hall (designed by A.B. Hubback, completed 1904), and the Jamek Mosque (designed by A.B. Hubback, completed 1909) exists in Kuala Lumpur when the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station was completed.
At a cost of RM23,000, the station was completed and operational on August 1, 1910. When both earlier stations were demolished, the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station became the definitive train stop in Kuala Lumpur, serving as a train hub to and from the city for decades. A hotel, the Station Hotel (now known as the Heritage Station Hotel), is also based in the building. In 1995, KTM Komuter services were added into the station.
After the diversion of long-distance intercity rail traffic to Kuala Lumpur Sentral (located less than a kilometer south) on April 15, 2001, much of the original station's use as a transportation stop diminished after its 90 years of operation. With activities in the station downsized, certain facilities were closed down as lesser patrons arrive. While the side platforms of the station were raised to a height suitable for smooth embarking and disembarking from KTM Komuter trains, the current configuration of the platforms and access to services meant that the original station could not be maximised for use as a transporation stop for KTM Komuter passengers (see platform). The whole station is still used by both KTM Komuter and goods services.
[edit] Renovations, upgrades and changes
The Kuala Lumpur Railway Station underwent several major changes during its service. In 1967, two office extensions were made on the north and south sides of the main building; the facades of the three-storey additions were similarly built in the same design as the original structure.
The second major modification took place in 1986, when the station was extensively refurbished, with the interior and relevant windows replaced with modern counterparts while the exterior was repaired and preserved, and additional new facilities and buildings, including air-conditioned waiting halls, tourism information counters and snack bars. Parts of the station's original interior designs are still present in the Heritage Station Hotel.
The 1986 remodeling also saw the addition of platform extensions to the north and a new station building in the area, which connect the General Post Office at the then newly completed Dayabumi complex (constructed 1982 to 1984). The rear wall of the station was also carved open and extended to accommodate taxi stops and several office and retail spaces. Retail spaces were also added onto one of the two adjacent frontal access roads to the main building.
When KTM Komuter services were launched in 1995, ticket counters and faregates were added to the station, in accordance to other KTM Komuter stations along the lines. The location of Komuter facilities meant that only the newer island platform could be used to park any KTM Komuter trains (see platform).
After Kuala Lumpur Sentral assumed the responsibility of receiving intercity operations, portions of station facilities designated for intercity services were decommissioned or removed.
[edit] Platforms
The station contains three raised platforms serving four railway lines, consisting two side platforms (platforms 1 and 4) on both sides and one island platform (platforms 2 and 3) in between. The newer extension platforms from 1986 are assigned additional "a" suffixes (i.e. Platform 2a for the extension of the original platform 2).
Prior to the opening of Kuala Lumpur Sentral, the platforms were designated the following roles:
- The side platforms of the station were typically intended for Intercity trains. As such, ticket counters for the train services were located within the old and new stations. With Intercity services shifted to Kuala Lumpur Sentral, passenger traffic at the platform has virtually disappeared. The platforms are still used to transfer goods to and from trains. The side platforms, as are the ground level of the station buildings, are also open to virtually any visitors.
- The island platform of the station are typically intended for KTM Komuter trains, as KTM Komuter ticket counters and faregates to and from KTM Komuter services are only connected to it.
In addition, the old island platform remains at its original height as it was when the station was built, significantly lower than the island platform extension and doorways of the commuter trains, an inconvinience for passenger entering and exiting the Komuter trains. Accordingly, KTM Komuter trains would typically stop at the new platforms, prompting passengers to preferably disembark the station from the newer, northern exit.
[edit] Architecture
The Kuala Lumpur Railway Station initially consisted of a main terminal building at the front and an adjoining set of three platforms serving four railway lines at the back.
The main structure, which contains a main hall, ticket counters and offices, is primarily designed in a mixture of Western and Mughal architectural styles. Dominated by horseshoe and ogee arches, and large domed watchtowers (six originally, with two added later) adorned by small towers, the station is comparable to the Sultan Abdul Samad Building and surrounding structures constructed around the Merdeka Square during the period. The building's facade is completely plastered, as opposed to buildings of similar styles that opt for exposed brickwork, and painted in light colours (usually white or cream) throughout its service.
The station's platforms are covered by large steel-framed roofs, which were initially shorter during the station's early operation. The roofs were tiled with glass sheets, and were partially opened to allow smoke from steam locomotives to escape the building; the roofs were later covered with corrugated roof sheets later in its life. The sides of the platforms not adjoining the main building are further surrounded by walls constructed in the same style as the main building. The platforms and main building are linked to each other via two underground passageways.
The design of the extended platform for the 1986 refurbishment of the station took a more modernist approach, consisting simply of large concrete pillars supporting a latticed roof and a ticket office on concrete slabs at the north end, suspended two stories above ground. White walls and arches that serve as decorations to the extension are more alike that of the Dayabumi complex than the original train station. The new extension is connected to Dayabumi via an elevated walkway.
[edit] External links
- Keretapi.com - Kuala Lumpur Railway Station
- Farewell My Lovely, A tribute to this old beauty - N.Senthilkumaran
- Official Heritage Station Hotel website
- The Heritage Station Hotel at KL-Hotel.com, for a few corridor images.
| Preceding station | Rail Lines (Klang Valley) | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bank Negara | Sentul-Port Klang Line | KL Sentral | ||
| Bank Negara | Rawang-Seremban Line | KL Sentral | ||
| Masjid Jamek | Kelana Jaya Line 400m to Pasar Seni |
KL Sentral | ||
