transit.vectordesigns.org: trains & stations
KTM Komuter
2011 Jan: KTM Komuter’s new Batu Caves station
After some debate about whether there should be a proper rail line to Batu Caves, the old tracks have been properly resuscitated to provide KTM Komuter service from Sentul to Batu Caves. Along with this redevelopment are three other new stations: Batu Kentonmen, Kampung Batu and Taman Wahyu.
From Wikipedia“A 7.2 km (4 mi), four-station extension from the Sentul station to Batu Caves has been approved. The project – which will cost RM515 million – will include electrification, double-tracking and refitting the existing old track, signalling, communications, as well as construction of new stations at Sentul, Batu Cantonment, Batu Village, Taman Wahyu and Batu Caves. Site possession was given to contractor YTL Corporation Berhad on 17 November 2006, and the project is to be completed by April 2010. The Sentul station is part of the Sentul Raya masterplan development under YTL.”
Here’s a picture of the spanking new station:
From keretapi.com:
“The 5.5 KM track between Kuala Lumpur and Sentul has been renewed and double tracked as part of the railway modernisation programme under the Sixth Malaysia Plan (1990-1995). Nevertheless, the remaining sector between Sentul and Batu Caves with a distance of about 7.5 km was not considered in this development since it was not viable at that time to upgrade the stretch due to low demand and ridership.
However, the scenario has changed in the mid-90’s as the populations in this sector has increased tremendously due to rapid development in commercial, industrial and residential sectors between Sentul and Batu Caves.
The existing single track route from Sentul to Batu Caves will be upgraded to double tracks and equiped with new infrastructure that includes new bridges, a new Batu Caves Station, halts at Taman Wahyu, Kampung Batu and Batu Kantomen, Electrification System and modern signalling and communication systems. The execution of this project is expected to commence before the year 2001 and is expected to be completed within 30 months.
The extension of the Klang Valley commuter network to Batu Caves will cater to passengers’ demands. This project will provide an alternative to road users and attract them to utilise the rail based public transportation. This approach is consistent with the Government’s policy to alleviate congestion on roads in Kuala Lumpur.”
The Batu Caves station is also accompanied by some pretty serious realignment of traffic. I found it quite difficult to find my way to the old Jalan Batu Caves Road with its access to Jalan Sungai Tua. From the MRR2 one basically has to take the new ramp going up which will eventually makes its way into the old Jalan Batu Caves road.
2010 Dec: KTM Sentul Station DOES connect to KLPac
Being a natural drama queen, I sent my daughter to an acting course at Actors’ Studio’s KL Performing Arts Centre (KLPAC) in Sentul. KLPac and the surrounding park, was developed by YTL from the train yards built first by the English colonial government then handed over to KTM, I believe.
As such, the Sentul station lies right next to KLPac and I would be darned if you couldn’t connect the two (see map below).
Now while this may not be entirely official (in fact if you can make out the red signs in the picture which suggest shooting upon sight below, it looks downright scary), rest assured that it’s pretty customary. See I’d noticed a few people walking in and out of this gateway within the KLPac grounds and they confirmed that one could easily walk to the Sentul station through that gate. If you are driving in from the main entrance (with the supersize “HOME” letters), at the bit where the road skirts around a gorgeous old derelict building, it is the gate that with a sign pointing to the “EMU Depot”.
At the gate there is a rudimentary checkpoint but at the time I used it, there was a very sweet policewoman who pointed the way for me to get to the station helpfully.
As you can see from the image on the left, you just walk down this road and you quickly see a staircase going up to the station. The fact this information hasn’t really made its way online could be down to the possibility that station is pretty new. Indeed this futuristic lookin building suggestive of a spaceship but also corrugated zinc looks new.
Walking into the station proper actually reveals a very capacious hallway (though which funnily enough doesn’t seem to have much function as a space) — “Wow, nice station,” is what my daughter said. This was followed by very spick and span ticketing counters and ticket vending machines. How much is the ticket from Sentul station to KL Sentral? RM1!! Take it and run!
Down next to the platforms which were airy and clean with comfortable seating. I was lucky enough to have to wait only 12 minutes for my train to KL Sentral, though actual train frequencies at this station seemed to be one train every half hour (every 20 and 50 minutes past the hour).
When the train arrived, I was intrigued to see that KTM Komuter had come out with the “Koc Wanita” before RapidKL’s much trumpeted “Bas Wanita”. I personally do feel that it’s a bit paternalistic, patronising and archaic to segregate the sexes. That didn’t stop me from jumping into the coach adorned with much pink iconography however and I have to say, it was rather comfortable and sweet to share the coach with my fairer sex friends. Hopefully less exposure to male sweat and cooties that way…
The ride itself went very pleasantly, outside of that one stationery stop for a few minutes before a train junction. Otherwise, I love passing through the back yards of the city that one would never see traversing the well trodden highways, eg peeks at the river, views of which are usually boarded up from the road as well as an abundance of banana trees and verdant green that make you think you are back in the desa.
After about 15 minutes, we reached KL Sentral (after stops at Putra, Bank Negara and Kuala Lumpur’s old KTM station). It was a quick hop up the escalators and feeding the ticket to get out the turnstiles, to get out into the hustle and bustle of KL Sentral station. Now I just needed to get a bus to Damansara Heights.
That however was going to be a less pleasant experience, of which you can read more in my article on taking RapidKL’s Bus U83. That would seem to be the public transport in Klang Valley experience for you though — a mixture of wonderful poetic moments of immersion within unknown places and people, as well as a frustrating despairing lack of service, communication, walkways as well as general care for our shared environment.
2007 Apr: KTM Komuter dari Serendah ke Shah Alam
Q via email: “Saya tinggal di serendah dan bekerja di Shah Alam. Ada ka syarikat bas yang melalui laluan shah alam ke rawang/serendah/batang kali/RASA”
A: Laluan yang kami suggest ialah dengan KTM Komuter yang baru yang akan buka di Serendah, dan juga Batang Kali dan Rasa. Dari Serendah, Encik boleh ambil Komuter ke KL Sentral. Dari KL Sentral, Encik boleh ambil yang berikut:
– bas Rapid T64 ke Taman Sri Muda
– bas Rapid T80 ke UiTM Shah Alam
– Komuter ke stesen2 Batu Tiga, Shah Alam atau Padang Jawa
Bas dari rawang ialah seperti berikut:
– SJ 72: Country Homes Rawang – Pasar Seni KL
– Metrobus 43: Country Homes Rawang – Bangkok Bank KL
– Komuniti 207: Rawang, Batu Arang – Bangkok Bank, KL
Counter response:
SAYA BEKERJA DI SEKSYEN 2 SHAH ALAM. TETAPI KOMUTER MEMUNYAI PELBAGAI MASALAH SEPERTI :
A. lambat – 1 jam 10 minit untuk sampai ke stesyen komuter shah alam dpd rawang.
B. Tiada pengangkutan awam seperti bas dpd stesyen komuter shah alam ke tempat kerja. Kena naik teksi dan kosnya tentulah tinggi. Bas yang ada perlu jalan kaki ke perhentian bas yang jauhnya maybe 500m atau 1 km. dULU ADA BAS DARIPADA stesyen tetapi dia bawa round seksyen 16, 17, 2 dan sampai ke tempat kerja setengah jam kemudian. Walhal dari stesyen ke tempat kerja saya jika terus hanyalah 10 minit sahaja. Buang masa.
C. komuter tak pernah ikut masa. jika jadual tertulis sampai shah alam jam 7.58 tetapi sampai 8.15
D. sering rosak dan tunggu berjam lamanya.
E.Naik rapidkl ke shah alam ok. tapi dpd shah alam bila balik kerja mengambil masa 1.5 jam melalui bangsar yang jam.
kalau ada bas daripada rawang ke shah alam melalui lebuhraya ianya akan mengambil masa 40 minit sahaja. Ada pilihan lain?
Counter counter response: Actually tak ada bas yang melalui Lebuhraya Utara Selatan PLUS, dari Rawang ke Shah Alam.
Bas Rapid T80 ada melalui stesen KTM Batu Tiga lepas tu dia masuk Persiaran Kayangan Persiaran Dato Menteri
2006 Dec: SKS Transnasional’s Dedicated Seremban – Putrajaya Bus Service
There’s now a dedicated bus service ferrying government servants from Seremban to Putrajaya. Operating on weekdays only, the service is provided by Syarikat Kenderaan Seremban – Kuala Lumpur Sdn.Bhd. (SKS) under the Transnasional banner and it sets one’s wallet back by RM 170 per month.
From the macho bus terminal sporting a cheerful Lot 10 green in Seremban, Terminal 1, it runs non-stop to Putrajaya, and delivers passengers to various government departments around Putrajaya, for the convenience of its passengers. To be faithful to its original objective of this service, offices around Cyberjaya are strictly out-of-bound.
There are three trips to Putrajaya in the morning, and three trips back to Seremban during the afternoon rush. The exact timing are as follow:
| From Seremban to Putrajaya | Number of Buses |
| 06:25 am | 1 |
| 06:40 am | 2 |
| From Putrajaya to Seremban | Number of Buses |
| 04:40 pm | 1 |
| 05:10 pm | 2 |
Eventhough it’s mainly targeting regular passengers riding it on daily basis throughout a particular month, they do welcome walk-in passengers if they happened to have vacancies on bus. Walk-in passengers are charged RM 5 per trip.
Those who are interested in utilising this service may wish to contact SKS at the following numbers:
06.763.8245 / 06.762.7351 (General enquiries)
06.763.0866 (Operation)
2006 Sep: ERL to stop at LCCT!
Have just heard news that KLIA is planning for the ERL to stop at Air Asia’s Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) on its way to KLIA. That’s another nice way to get to the LCCT, besides taking the RM9 SkyBus! 🙂
If this is the case, I wonder if this LCCT Terminal station would be included within the KLIA Transit service, to make it:
KL Sentral <> Bandar Tasik Selatan <> Putrajaya/Cyberjaya <> Salak Tinggi <> LCCT <> KLIA ??
Do verify or deny this news if you know anything…
2006 Sep: New LRT Line & Extension!
Big news! Rumours of the extension of the Kelana Jaya LRT line past its Kelana Jaya terminal were topped by the Deputy PM’s announcement that, not only will it be extended all the way to USJ, there’ll also be a new line running from the city centre through Damansara Heights to Kota Damansara.
The other end of this new line will reach all the way to the heavily populated area of Cheras! The Sri Petaling arm of the erstwhile called Star line will also be extended to reach another heavily populated area, Puchong — brilliant idea!
I don’t know whether I’m being middle-class/suburban-centric, but it seems that finally, these LRT lines are beginning to make sense, instead of running through boondocks areas. The only thing needed now are parts approximating to a circle line to link up the radial fingers of this network….
Hang on! There are the new monorail lines that were announced not too long ago. Give us some time and we’ll try to superimpose this hypothetical scenario for you (new LRT line and extension slated for 2010).