Old Railway Station
The Old Railway Station is one of Kuala Lumpur's most famous landmarks. Until
the Petronas Twin Towers was built, the railway station, together with the
Sultan Abdul Samad Building, was among the most photographed symbols of the
city.
The station was completed in 1910 and designed by that most prolific and
talented of British colonial architects, Arthur Benison Hubback. Working at the
Public Works Department, he was responsible for many other iconic buildings in
Malaysia such as the stately Ipoh Railway Station and the Royal Gallery in Klang.
The Kuala Lumpur Old Railway Station was built with Mughal features such as the
elegant chhatris (dome-capped pavilions of Indian origin) along its roof line.
The station served as the city's main rail hub until the modern KL Sentral
station took over in 2001. The old station is still used for KTM Komuter
services. Some of its platforms were too low for KTM Komuter trains and a more
modern extension with a separate entrance was built in the 1980s.
The station is a gazetted heritage building and a mini railway museum has been
added to fill some of the under utilised concourse space. The museum, which is
free admission, displays some relics from bygone days of Malaysian (& Malayan)
railway history such as train tickets, uniforms, lamps, crockery, toast racks,
maps, posters and signal equipment. There is even an elephant bone from a mother
elephant that suicidal charged and derailed a train, apparently in retaliation
for the death of her calf in an earlier train collision.
Getting There
There are three ways to get to the Old Railway Station. You can either get there
by taxi or by driving there yourself. But if you would like to take the bus, you
can take the RapidKL bus number B101 and B112 and stop at the Dayabumi Complex.
The station is located along a road named Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin.
Walk towards the National Mosque, the Old Railway Station is just situated next
to the National Mosque. If the train is what you want to take, then hop on the
KTM Komuter and remember to stop at the Old Railway Station.
folder_open Attractions in Kuala Lumpur