'

Kuala Lampur
Putrajaya
Royal Mulu National Park
Sunway City

Planned

Cyberjaya
 

Kuala Lumpur, meaning "muddy confluence", is home to nearly 2 million souls. You may notice their flag is familiar. Here's why.

Previously run by three separate authorities, Kuala Lumpur's 3 distinctly different metro systems are in the process of merging into one authority. All three systems consists of:

PUTRA

PUTRA* (Projek Usahasama Transit Ringan Automatik), which encourages all it's passengers to ride with joy,  operates a 29 km automated LRT which looks more like a hybrid LRT-full metro. Beginning revenue service in 1998, the city's subway section opened in 1999. PUTRA claims to be the world's longest, fully automated LRT. Each of the vehicles used are powered by two linear induction electric motors, which keep noise levels to a minimum. The vast majority of the system is above ground, with 4.4 km and 5 stations in tunnel and 19 elevated. When visiting PUTRA's site, be sure to take the train ride. I found it much cheaper than an airline ticket to Malaysia or a citation for spitting.



STAR

STAR (Sistem Transit Aliran Ringan) began revenue service in 1996. The 27 km, 25 station system is driver operated and consists of the Ampang line and the Sri Petaling line. 17.6 km of the 25 km route are at grade, the remaining 9.6 km elevated. STAR has been reported as a dismal ridership failure by McLeong's engineering site done shortly after phase one of the line's opening. You can also catch a glimpse of the STAR metro in the last scene of a recent Sean Connery-Catherine Zeta Jones movie.

Monorail

The Kuala Lumpur Monorail is an 8.6 km long, 11 station line runs from the bus terminal in the north, through the central city, to KL Sentral (a massive community-business complex centered around the railway station). The line opened for revenue service in August 2003.


The metro area is also served by KTM commuter trains and the 57 km high speed Express Rail Link to the airport opened in 2003.

Railway Technology's Kuala Lumpur page
KL Monorail home page
KL monorail web cam
Robert Schwandl's Kuala Lumpur page
Most excellent comprehensive page about urban rail lines in Kuala Lumpur
Brief description and photo of the Star LRT
Another brief page on the Star LRT Kuala Lampur
Is a paranoid leader wanting to get into the monorail business?
Report on Kuala Lampur's local rail lines
KLA Airport Express Info

* Land, or "soil", in Malay.