‘Jalan jalan’ is the Malaysian way of saying you’re ‘going for a walk’. After a few years break, when the KTM Komuter service stops at the old Kuala Lumpur Railway Station were only a few a day, the station now sees all trains stopping as they pass through. This makes it much easier for passengers wishing to access the area around the old KL Station, close to the Heritage heart of the city. That’s why we chose to stop there when we visited the Merdeka Square (Dataran Merdeka) recently. Warning: this route has one section where only steps are available (no ramp or lifts).
Old KL Station: see what, go where?
We’ve discovered the easiest way and most direct way to walk from the old KL station to Dataran Merdeka (Merdeka Square) is via the walkway to Dayabumi and along Jln Raja. You can also walk via Central Market, but we’ll do that in a separate story (coming soon).
When you leave the train, you’ll need to walk right along the platform to the far end, it is quite a walk, we took 3-4 minutes to reach the exit, which you can reach using the steps, escalator or lift behind.
The connection to Pasar Seni LRT is to your right after you pass through the turnstiles. Keep right to go to Pasar Seni LRT. Take the left exit to go down to Jln Tun Sambanthan and the Central Market (Pasar Seni).
To reach Dayabumi you must turn left from the turnstiles and the entrance to the walkway is opposite the ticket counter.
At the end of the walkway towards Dayabumi, you should turn right to Dayabumi/Pos. Turning left will take you to the Car Park and this route would be much longer and less direct. This part of the walk to Dayabumi is only suitable for walkers as there are no ramps or lifts, only a short staircase down. This walk is all under cover and you will pass lots of food stalls just before you reach the doors.
As you enter the building, the dentist on your left is your marker for later. There’s also a sign on the inside of the doors. Catch the lift up to Level 2 to your right, just behind the stalls.
This is where you will need a hat, as there is no shade along Jalan Raja, from Dayabumi to the National Textile Museum. Dataran Merdeka is diagonally opposite the Museum. On your walk you can see the huge flagpole in the Square, and over to your right across a fenced off garden, the old KL Central Market, now repurposed as a creative centre, Pasar Seni. The Pasar Seni LRT station is to the right.
When you reach the Museum, cross at the lights and enjoy wandering around the open space and checking out the heritage buildings of colonial Kuala Lumpur. The Old Chartered Bank and Government Printers buildings are badly in need of a facelift and we are trying to find out the plans for this. Most of the buildings around the square were built in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Apart from the ‘iconic’ flag pole, check out the Royal Selangor Club, a mock Tudor building with a long verandah where members can sit and watch a game of cricket. It’s also known as ‘The Spotted Dog’ and home of the Hash House Harriers, a social running group which has spread worldwide. At the other side of the grass (the padang) is the ‘0 milestone’, marking the centre of Kuala Lumpur as the General Post Office originally occupied part of the Sultan Abdul Samad Building over the road.
To return to the old KL Station, it’s just a matter of reversing your tracks along Jln Raja to Dayabumi and along the walkway. It was a good idea to look for a toilet in Dayabumi as well, before our trip home in the train. That proved to be a bit of a challenge though, as the security guards assured us they were round the back of the lifts on Level 1, so off we went.
It’s not ‘just round the back’, although there is a coffee kiosk and an exit to the terrace where you can sit overlooking the river to enjoy your drink. There’s also another exit to the terrace close to the lift, beside a number of food stalls. To reach the toilets, you’ll need to go right to the back of the building, not really that far, but it seemed it when we were looking. The toilets are free and clean, just don’t forget to pull yourself some toilet paper at the entrance before you go in.
One happy discovery was the entrance to the Link bridge to Pasar Seni, the LRT and Petaling Street. We’ll describe this in our next story and video, but note that you have to go outside the door and up by stairs/lift to your right.
Then it was off to the station to wait for our train.
images©ET
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