Transport in Greater Kuala Lumpur includes a road network, a railway network, airports, and other modes of public transport. Greater Kuala Lumpur is conterminous with the Klang Valley, an urban conglomeration consisting of the city of Kuala Lumpur, as well as surrounding towns and cities in the state of Selangor. The Klang Valley has Malaysia's largest airport, the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), as well as the country's largest intermodal transport hub and railway station, Kuala Lumpur Sentral (KL Sentral).
There are multiple modes of public transport, including buses, rail, taxis, and motor-taxis, serving the region. However Kuala Lumpur, with a population of 1.79 million in the city and six million in its metropolitan area, is experiencing the effects and challenges of rapid urbanisation and urban planning issues. To resolve these issues, the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) has plans to initiate programmes that would improve the public transportation system and increase its sustainability and decrease its environmental impact in the Klang Valley. The Kuala Lumpur Structure Plan 2020, in particular, intends to address the unprecedented growth and changes in Kuala Lumpur's urban transportation landscape.
History of public transport in Kuala Lumpur In the 19th century and early 20th century, most Kuala Lumpur citizens and tin miners used rickshaws, elephants, sampans, and bull- or horse-drawn carriages as basic public transportation (as in transport by means not owned by persons being transported).
Rail transit in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor began in 1886 when a railway line from Kuala Lumpur to Bukit Kuda (just outside Klang) was opened. The line remains operational to this day as the Tanjung Malim-Port Klang Line.
From the 1960s to the 1990s, the Mini-Bus Service or Bas Mini was popular.
Kuala Lumpur's (and by extension, Malaysia's) first metro line, the STAR LRT (now known as LRT Ampang Line), opened in December 1996.
Regulation The public transport system is regulated by various authorities, including the Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board (CVLB) of the Ministry of Entrepreneur and Co-operative Development, the Ministry of Transport and local governments such as the Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) and the other city and municipal councils.
There is no single body that regulates the whole sector.
The Integration and Restructuring of the Public Transport System in the Klang Valley (Inspak) steering committee, established in July 2003, is tasked with encouraging greater use of public transportation to reduce traffic congestion and initiate the establishment of the Klang Valley Urban Transport Authority as the regulatory authority for public transportation in the Klang Valley. Little has been said about the establishment of this authority ever since.
Rapid KL was established in 2004 by the Ministry of Finance to provide an integrated public transport system in the Klang Valley incorporating rail and bus services as part of Inspak. It holds quasi-regulatory powers in the sense that unlike other bus operators, it has much greater freedom to set its routes. Furthermore, its fare structure differs from that set by the CVLB.
By 2007, passengers have access to Touch 'n Go ticketing system on Rapid KL systems, KL Monorail, and KTM Komuter.Rapid KL Launches Integrated Smart Card Ticketing System
Cycling
Rail
Klang Valley Integrated Transit System
The Klang Valley Integrated Transit System currently consists of four light rapid transit (LRT) lines, two commuter rail lines, one monorail line, one bus rapid transit line, two mass rapid transit (MRT) lines and three airport rail links, two to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) and one to the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport (Subang Airport). The LRT lines connect the city centre with Kuala Lumpur's satellite cities and towns such as Petaling Jaya, Subang Jaya, Gombak, Puchong, Shah Alam and Klang. The MRT and commuter rail lines link the city centre with other major towns and cities outside the city such as Shah Alam, Petaling Jaya, Klang, Rawang, Kepong, Kajang, Sungai Buloh, Putrajaya and others. The monorail serves various locations within the city centre. Several interchanging stations integrate these rail services. Several railway stations are also served by the intercity KTM ETS service, which connects the Klang Valley with other states and regions in Peninsular Malaysia.
Commuter rail service Between and 27 stations over 135.6 km, operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) Between and 34 stations over 127.5 km, operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM)
Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) service Between and 29 stations + 3 provisional over 46 km, owned by MRT Corp and operated by Rapid Rail
Between and 36 stations + 5 provisional over 57.7 km, owned by MRT Corp and operated by Rapid Rail
(Future) A loop-line between and UMCurrently in the land acquisition process, will consist of 30 stations + 3 provisional over 50.8 km, owned by MRT Corp
Light Rapid Transit (LRT) service Between and 18 stations over 15 km, owned by Prasarana Malaysia and operated by Rapid Rail
Between and 29 stations + 2 provisional over 37.6 km, owned by Prasarana Malaysia and operated by Rapid Rail
Between and 37 stations over 46.4 km, owned by Prasarana Malaysia and operated by Rapid Rail
Between and 20 + 5 provisional over 37.8 km, owned by Prasarana Malaysia and operated by Rapid Rail
Monorail service Between and 11 stations over 8.6 km, owned by Prasarana Malaysia and operated by Rapid Rail
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service Between and 7 stations over 5.6 km, owned by Prasarana Malaysia and operated by Rapid Bus
Airport rail link service Non-stop between and & 3 stations over 59.1 km, owned and operated by Express Rail Link (ERL)
Between and & 6 stations over 59.1 km, owned and operated by Express Rail Link (ERL)
(Temporarily suspended since February 15, 2023, due to low ridership and high operational costs) Limited express between and 3 stations over 24.5 km, operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM)
Light Rapid Transit (LRT)
There are three fully grade-separated light rapid transit (LRT) systems in the Klang Valley, the , LRT Ampang and Sri Petaling Lines, and the . The lines function as light metro services and are all operated by Rapid Rail as part of the Rapid KL system.
The links the city centre with the major towns and cities of Subang Jaya, Petaling Jaya and Gombak. To date, it carries over 250,000 passengers a day. At in length, the Kelana Jaya Line is the third-longest fully automated driverless metro system in Malaysia. Between and Damai, the line runs underground, serving five stations.
The and function as a single system. Both lines share a common section between their terminus , and . After Chan Sow Lin, the lines split and travel to their respective southern termini. The Sri Petaling Line extends from the city centre towards the south of Kuala Lumpur and through Puchong, before meeting the Kelana Jaya Line at their common terminus station, . The Ampang Line serves the eastern part of Kuala Lumpur as well as Ampang. Both lines have a combined length of . These two lines carry over 200,000 per day on weekdays and an average of 120,000Amapng Line Ridership per day on weekends. Unlike the other rapid transit lines, the Ampang and Sri Petaling lines run completely above ground.
The is the third LRT system and the fourth LRT line, and the latest LRT line introduced to the Klang Valley. Having a total length of , it connects the township of Bandar Utama and western Petaling Jaya with Klang, serving the city of Shah Alam along the way. The line is the first rapid transit line in the Klang Valley Integrated Transit System to not be within the borders of Kuala Lumpur proper. However, the line is connected to the system through interchange stations with the Kelana Jaya Line and the Kajang Line, allowing commuters from Kuala Lumpur to travel as far as Shah Alam and Klang on the western side of Selangor.
All LRT lines run on standard-gauge tracks.
Mass Rapid Transit (MRT)
The Klang Valley currently has two mass rapid transit (MRT) lines, the and . The Kajang Line provides high-capacity metro services between the city and the outer parts of the Klang Valley. The Kajang Line runs from to stations, running through the city centre, as well as the areas of Damansara, Cheras and Kajang. The line is long with a total of 29 stations, and is currently the second-longest fully-automated driverless metro system in Malaysia.
The second MRT line, the runs from Kwasa Damansara (where it shares a common terminus with the Kajang Line with a stacked island platform) to . The line is long with a total of 36 stations. The line serves Sungai Buloh and northern Kuala Lumpur (Kepong), passing through the city centre, and serving southern Kuala Lumpur, Seri Kembangan and Cyberjaya before terminating at Putrajaya. It is also the second rail link from Kuala Lumpur to Putrajaya, the country's administrative capital, after the Express Rail Link lines. It is currently the longest fully-automated driverless metro system in Malaysia.
Both lines are owned by MRT Corp and operated by Rapid Rail, and functions as part of the Rapid KL system.
A third MRT line, the , has been approved and would form a loop line of the integrated transit system in the Klang Valley region. It is expected to stretch from Bukit Kiara to the University of Malaya, and will also include densely populated areas outside of the city centre.
All MRT lines run on standard-gauge tracks.
Commuter rail
Commuter rail in the Klang Valley is mainly operated by Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM). It operates three lines in the Klang Valley, namely the , and . All three lines integrate at KL Sentral, the largest railway station and intermodal transportation hub in Malaysia, which is also served by other transit lines. The commuter lines provide long-distance rail transport to the outer fringes of the Klang Valley, including Batu Caves, Shah Alam, Petaling Jaya, Subang Jaya, Kajang and Klang in Selangor. The Batu Caves-Pulau Sebang Line travels south as far as Pulau Sebang in Malacca, while the Tanjung Malim-Port Klang Line extends to Tanjung Malim in Perak. The KL Sentral-Terminal Skypark Line functions as an airport rail link from the city centre to the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport (Subang Airport) in Subang.
The KTM Komuter system is the only urban rail system in the Klang Valley which runs on metre-gauge tracks. The KTM Komuter shares the same tracks with the KTM ETS, providing interchanges with the inter-city rail service.
Airport Rail Links (Express Rail Link)
Express airport rail link services are provided by both the KL Sentral-Terminal Skypark Line to the Subang Airport, as well as the line operated by Express Rail Link (ERL) to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). The KLIA Ekspress provides non-stop service between KL Sentral and KLIA, without stopping in any of the stations in between. The journey only takes 28 minutes with a maximum speed of . The trains run on 15-minute intervals during peak hours and 20-minute intervals during off-peak hours.
The line shares the same tracks as the KLIA Ekspres. Also operated by ERL, KLIA Transit stops at all stations between KL Sentral and KLIA, providing a commuter rail service apart from a rail link from the city centre to the airport.
The KL Sentral-Terminal Skypark Line, KLIA Transit Line, and KLIA Ekspres Line share a common terminus at KL Sentral station, allowing passengers to transfer between the airports using the rail lines.
While the KTM Komuter system uses metre-gauge tracks, the ERL system uses standard-gauge tracks.Limo services for holiday lights tours
Monorail