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The Old Railway Station - Places
to Visit in Kuala Lumpur
Destinations and Sights - Lake
Gardens Area
The Kuala Lumpur Railway Station is a magnificent piece of architecture.
Designed by Arthur Benison Hubback (AB Hubback), the same government architect
who designed most of the distinctive buildings of Mughal architecture in
Malaysia, including Kuala Lumpur's the Masjid Jamek. the building was completed
in 1911.
 Locals
often incorrectly refer to the Mughal architecture as Moorish architecture. This
is incorrect. The architects who built the many heritage buildings in Kuala
Lumpur studied the Mughal style of India, which includes domes and chatris, not
the Moorish style of Spain.
It began service as the central hub for all the trains of Keretapi Tanah Melayu,
Malaya's rail system. It was refurbished in 1986 with additional new facilities
and buildings, including air-conditioned waiting halls, tourism information
counters, snack bars and more.
 As
the central station, that once linked Singapore to Kuala Lumpur to British field
stations throughout Malaysia to Bangkok and later especially with the start of
the KTM Komuter service, it was always bustling . However, with the newly-built
KL Sentral taking over, the KL Railway Station has become a stop solely for
commuter trains. The rest go to KL Sentral, which is located less than a
kilometer away.
After 90 years of operation, the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station has now seen the
end of its heyday.
Heritage Station Hotel
Inside the station is the Heritage Hotel, a frozen-in-time spectacle all of its
own. You can still get a room here, and disappear back in time. The lobby
elevator has a door that you pull open and closed manually, and operates off a
hand lever just like in the old movies. There is a bar with ceiling fans, faded
mirrors and an oak bar polished to the point where over time it has become more
jewel than wood. The hallways remind one more of passages on the Titanic than
any Holiday Inn, and roaming around the nearly-empty hotel, one stumbles into
dark ballrooms and high ceiling sitting rooms.
It is the way Things Used to Be; not necessarily the best of times, as colonials
lived over those they employed, but a piece of history still drawing breath that
you can walk through.
KTM Headquarters Building
Keeping in style with its architecture, across the street from the station
itself is the is an equally beautiful building housing the KTM (Keretapi Tanah
Melayu) Headquarters. You can cross easily between the two via an underground
passage. The inside still shows delightful architectural touches that echo those
of the train station across the street.
Located at Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin, which is in the heart of the city
The National Mosque, Station Hotel and Dayabumi Complex are among the nearby
landmarks.
Best way to Visit -
Take a City Tour
DESTINATIONS & SIGHTS -
LAKE GARDENS AREA
War Memorial /
Parliament
House /
National Museum /
Islamic Arts Museum /
The Old Railway Station /
National
Mosque /
Butterfly Park /
Orchid & Hibiscus Gardens /
Bird Park
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