How to fix KL Sentral: ideas to fix the worst station in Southeast Asia

Kuala Lumpur Sentral Station is going to be redeveloped at the end of 2024. Here are some ideas to improve the station.

KL Sentral opened in 2001, replacing Kuala Lumpur Station as the central station. KL Sentral was designed to handle 100,000 commuters a day, but it’s now handling 200,000 commuters per day. After over 20 years in operation the station now feels cramped for space and outdated in design.

The good news is that KL Sentral is about to be redeveloped. The aim of the redevelopment is to increase passenger capacity, improve accessibility, and give the station a more modern look.

As a vitial transport hub for the city, it’s not possible to build a new station. The developer will have the challenging task of keeping the station running while redesigning the building.

I’m a frequent visitor to KL, and KL Sentral is almost always my entry and departure point. While I’m not looking forward to the noise and construction chaos, I am looking forward to seeing how it transforms.

Here are some of my observations about what is wrong with the station and what needs to be fixed.

ETS Intercity departures and arrivals

One of the problems with KL Sentral are the small departure and arrival areas for intercity (ETS) trains. The current departure area for the intercity trains is a holding pen on the upper level.

From there, passengers descend to the platform.

Adding to the dinginess of KL Sentral is the claustrophobic platforms for the ETS services. Unfortunately this is something that can’t be fixed in the redesign without radically redesigning the station.

The developer will have to work within the space that is currently at the station.

One option would be to reduce the space at the arrival hall for the airport rail link on the west side of the station. This space is where passengers arrive after being dropped off by car. This space is never busy compared the the space in the main hall.

The same applies for the arrival hall on the east side of the station. This area could be trimmed with the space given to a new ETS departure and arrival area.

The main hall

Another part of the station that is ready to be upgraded is the main hall between the north and south entry. The hallway is currently a jumble of shops, and it feels more like a mall than a railway station.

The shopping areas with the low ceilings also add to the feeling of being in a cramped space.

Something that bothers me about the station is that there is no sense of departure or arrival. This is meant to be the central station of Kuala Lumpur, yet the Intercity section is hidden among the clutter of shops in the main hallway.

The south exit of the station is just a big portal to the Nu Sentral Mall. Instead of “Welcome to Kuala Lumpur” it is “Welcome to Nu Sentral”.

I would like the station to feel more obvious that it’s an intercity railway station instead of a mall. One way to do this would be to have a big departure and arrival board in the main hallway.

[KL Sentral deserves a better departure board than this TV monitor.]

Interchanges

KL Sentral looks impressive on the Klang Valley Integrated Transit Map.

KL Sentral is served by the KTM Kommuter Railway (Line 1 and 2), LRT Kelana Jaya Line, KLIA Ekspres, and the KL monorail and MRT Kajang Line are nearby. Despite all of these lines, there is no same-ticket interchange for any of these lines at KL Sentral. Is it possible to make interchanges between these lines?

At the moment there is no interchanges between the Kommuter lines and LRT/MRT lines. The station developer could technically build a ticketless interchange between these lines, but there is no point if there is not an agreement between the two railway operators.

[KTM Kommuter and LRT at KL Sentral.]

There is a dedicated walkway from KL Sentral to Muzium Negara MRT station, though this is too far to be considered as an interchange.

The airport rail link is a premium service, so this line doesn’t need an interchange with other urban railways.

The missed opportunity was not connecting the KL Sentral monorail station to KL Sentral. To get to the monorail station from KL Sentral you have to walk through the Nu Sentral shopping mall.

[Walk through Nu Sentral to get to the monorail.]

I was a frequent visitor to KL when Nu Sentral was being built. I remember when construction began, and I wondered if they would build a dedicated walkway from the monorail to KL Sentral. As the building progressed it became obvious that there was not going to be a dedicated walkway.

Nu Sentral opened 2014, and I was dismayed to find that not only was there no dedicated walkway, but passengers have to walk a circuitous path through the mall. In the tech world when there is an intentional design flaw they say it’s a feature, not a bug. In the case of the walk from the monorail through the mall, it may have been designed that way to artificially increase foot traffic in the mall.

[KL Sentral and Nu Sentral.]

Surrounded by roads

One of the design problems of KL Sentral is that it’s an island surrounded by roads. The 90s were a car-centric era in Malaysia, and the station design is a product of that time.

A central station is usually an architectural landmark of a city, and it should be a visible feature. The old Kuala Lumpur Station is a good example of a architectural landmark that can be seen from most angles.

[The Old Kuala Lumpur Railway Station.]

In contrast to the old KL station, KL Sentral is surrounded by other buildings. The unfortunate thing is that it didn’t have to be like this. KL Sentral was built on former rail yards and everything surrounding the station was build at the same time. It should have been built with space around the building and pedestrian access on all sides.

[KL Sentral. Photo via thestar.com.my.]

This can’t be fixed now, so the next best thing is to try and improve the pedestrian experience. Part of the development plan includes connecting surrounding buildings to the station. I would like to a see a series of skybridges connecting all of the surrounding buildings to the station.

There is an elevated walkway that connects the Aloft Hotel to Nu Sentral and then KL Sentral, so this could be a preview of future elevated walkways. connecting the station.

[KL Sentral walkway to Aloft.]

A radical proposal for Jalan Stesen Sentral

Outside of KL Sentral is not designed for pedestrians, and this is evident on the elevated road between KL Sentral and Nu Sentral (Jalan Stesen Sentral).

A radical change to consider is to pedestrianise Jalan Stesen Sentral between KL Sentral and Nu Sentral. Considering that public transport is all about reducing car traffic, it would be good to give one side of the station over to pedestrians.

[Pedestrianise Jalan Stesen Sentral between KL Sentral and Nu Sentral.]

As it is currently designed, there is no legal place for pedestrians to cross Jalan Stesen Sentral.

That doesn’t stop people from crossing anyway. If you stand near the Aloft Hotel you will see people making the crossing.

To add more indignity to the crossing, pedestrians crouch under a car ramp to get to KL Sentral.

If this road was pedestrianised, it could become a vibrant alleyway lined with cafes. There is currently a Starbucks on the Nu Sentral side of this road, and if you have been here you will know that the outdoor section is not pleasant with all the cars going by. If this road is pedestrianised then it could become a new social space to to visit before getting the train. For Nu Sentral and the new operator of KL Sentral, it will mean more rent from shops along this new pedestrian area.

If this proposal is too radical, then another approach would be to put Jalan Stesen Sentral on a road diet. Reduce the road to one lane and give pedestrians priority to cross.

Future KL Sentral plans

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