Kuala Lumpur Sentral Station (KL Sentral) is a transit-oriented development that houses the main railway station of Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. Opened on 16 April 2001, KL Sentral replaced the old Kuala Lumpur railway station as the city's main inter-city railway station. KL Sentral is the largest railway station in Malaysia, and also in Southeast Asia from 2001 to 2021, before Krung Thep Aphiwat Central Terminal in Bangkok, Thailand was completed.
KL Sentral is designed as an intermodal transport hub. All of the Klang Valley's urban rail lines serve KL Sentral except the , , and . Passengers can catch intercity trains serving many locations across Peninsular Malaysia to places such as Johor Bahru, Ipoh, and Butterworth, as well as special monthly excursion trains towards Thailand. It was also designed to be a new business and financial hub for Kuala Lumpur.
Overview
KL Sentral refers to the entire of development built on the former Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) marshalling yard in Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur. The development includes the transport hub, hotels, office towers, condominiums, and shopping malls, and was expected to be completed in 2015. Designed by Japanese architect Kisho Kurokawa, this station initially used Malay, English and Japanese languages signs as a tribute, although the Japanese on the signs were removed in 2025.
KL Sentral has been divided into 14 land parcels, each representing a different function. Some of these lots have been fully constructed and are already in use, while others are either in the process of being built or are still awaiting development, according to the phased programme.
KL Sentral is being developed by a consortium made up of the Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad (MRCB), Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB), and Pembinaan Redzai Sdn Bhd.
History Kuala Lumpur Sentral station stands on the site of the former KTM marshalling yard called the Central Railroad Repair Shops. In the Second World War during the Japanese occupation of Malaya, the yard was the target of the Allies' 1945 bombing of Kuala Lumpur. The yard was targeted twice, on 19 February 1945 and 10 March 1945. The second bombing raid also damaged the nearby National Museum.
In 1994, with the objective of enhancing Kuala Lumpur city's public transport, the Government of Malaysia awarded a contract to a consortium to transform at the old railway marshalling yard into a modern transit hub within a self-contained urban development. The consortium, led by Malaysian Resources Corp Bhd (MRCB), appointed architect Kisho Kurokawa and Associates, who also designed the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), to design the master plan for the entire development.
In July 2010, two trains crashed into each other. One was an airport-bound train, and the other was a parked train. The crash injured three people.
In early August 2019, KL Sentral was one of the locations affected by two online bomb threats posted on Twitter; the other being the Russian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur. These threats were posted via a hacked account by an individual calling himself "limzhengyan"; as a result, the Malaysian police carried out a search on those locations and determined that the threats were hoaxes, although coincidentally on the same day an incomplete improvised explosive device was found at the Bukit Damansara area.
Starting from 29 May 2023, KL Sentral LRT station officially rebranded as KL Sentral-redONE. The partnership is part of a five-year station naming rights agreement between Prasarana Integrated Development and redONE, the largest mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) in ASEAN.
Development zones The KL Sentral development area is divided into several plots of land, each with a specific development purpose. All constructions were scheduled to be completed by 2015.
Lot Development Type Name NotesA Office CIMB Headquarters (Menara CIMB) Completed in mid-2012B Office Q Sentral Announced in July 2010. Originally to be developed by MRCB, Kuwait Finance House and Quill Group, but later MRCB bought all of KFH and Quill shares in the venture. Construction began in Q4 2010 and was completed in 2014.C Hotel/Residential St. Regis Hotel and Residence Construction started in Q4 2010 and was completed in 2014.D Residential Sentral Residence MRCB together with Capitaland and the Quill Group of companies will develop a 52-story residential tower. Construction was completed in 2015.E Office & Commercial Platinum Sentral Constructed and fully developed by MRCB. Construction completed in 2011.F Commercial Unannounced Announced in 2013, constructions were expected to commence in 2014, but there were no developments at the site. Currently designated as an open-air car park with a sales gallery building.G Hotel/Commercial/Office NU Sentral A joint venture company between Aseana Investment (Ireka) Limited and MRCB has been set up to develop a hotel and an office tower. MRCB and a Pelaburan Hartanah Bumiputera Bhd subsidiary formed a joint venture develop a retail mall and office tower. Constructions for all buildings began in H2 2008 and are expected to be done by 2012. Also offers integration with KL Monorail. Consists of two office towers, one 27-story and one 37-story, that will be built on top of the mall. A 28-story hotel will also be built on top of the mall.H Transportation Stesen Sentral Completed in 2000, served by KTM Komuter, KTM ETS, KLIA Transit, KLIA Ekspres and the Kelana Jaya Line. Also acts as a Rapid KL bus hub. The KL Monorail and Kajang Line are within walking distance.I Hotel Hilton Kuala Lumpur & Le Méridien hotels Completed in 2004J Commercial & Office Sooka Sentral, UEM Headquarters (Mercu UEM), MIDA office, Company Commission of Malaysia Headquarters, Quill 7 and offices of Axiata Sooka Sentral opened in 2008. Office towers completed in 2009. CVSKL opened its doors in November 2017.K Residential Suasana Sentral Completed in 2002L Residential Suasana Sentral Loft Completed in 2008M Office Plaza Sentral Phase 1 completed in 2001. Phase 2 was completed in 2007.N Office 1 Sentral Tower Completed in 2007. Sold to Tabung Haji
Office zones
Office zones in KL Sentral account for more than 50% of the total land area. The developer intends that KL Sentral will ultimately be the business and financial hub of Kuala Lumpur.
Lot A: CIMB Headquarters (Menara CIMB) Lot A will be the new headquarters for CIMB Group which is located facing the National Museum. As of June 2011, the new headquarters' name, which appears on the construction site, is Menara CIMB (CIMB Tower). The company acquired the land in July 2008, and construction started in Q4 2007 and was completed in 2011. It has around of office space available.
Lot M: Plaza Sentral Lot M or Plaza Sentral is a completed office complex in the west of KL Sentral. The complex was completed in two stages.
Phase I was completed in June 2001, comprising three blocks and a total gross floor area of . Offering prestigious office suites, Plaza Sentral was sold and quickly taken up by multinationals and Malaysian companies alike, eager to take advantage of the global connectivity and convenience of working in KL Sentral. Its take-up rate is reaching 100%. Phase II was launched in September 2003 due to the escalating demand for premium office space. It has since been fully taken up. Comprising two towers – 18-storey and 26-storey – made up of four blocks and a total gross floor area of , the building was completed in 2006. Tenants include British Telecom and Maxis Communications. Sentral Tower, a purpose-built 30-storey office tower, was sold to Lembaga Tabung Haji for RM161.46mil in March 2004. Plaza Sentral has a basement parking lot.
Lot J: Sooka Sentral & 4 Office Towers Lot J is a development lot for four 35-storey office towers of identical architecture.
Lot J was sold to United Engineers (M) Bhd (UEM) in May 2005 with plans for four towers. Tower A was built by UEM for its corporate headquarters called Mercu UEM on the prime piece of land with a gross floor area of . Tower B will be an office tower for the Malaysian Industrial Development Authority. Tower C was built by Quill Realty Sdn Bhd and sold to Suruhanjaya Syarikat Malaysia (SSM) for its corporate headquarters. Tower D is an office building built by Quill, named Quill 7.
A development on Lot J is the six-storey lifestyle centre which houses a fitness and spa centre, business centre, food court, restaurants, and alfresco dining facilities. This development, called Sooka Sentral, opened its doors in December 2007.
Lot N: 1 Sentral Tower
1 Sentral Tower is an office tower, offering a gross floor area of . Construction was completed in 2007. It houses companies such as PricewaterhouseCoopers, MRCB, and General Electric.
Others
Lot B has been proposed as a financial area for KL Sentral. No construction has taken place.
Lot F is planned for a future office block. Currently, the base is used for a furniture exhibition mall and a Food and Beverage (F&B) centre.
Entertainment zones Lot E will be a hub for an entertainment and convention centre. The deck of this development has been completed.
Lot G: NU Sentral Lot G, located in the south of KL Sentral consist of shopping complex, office block, serviced apartments, and a three-star hotel. NU Sentral is the shopping mall in the area, and directly acts as a pathway between Stesen Sentral and the KL Sentral monorail station. Development works commenced in 2008 and were completed in 2014. The land was previously used as a parking lot and a short-cut for pedestrians from Brickfields and the KL Sentral Monorail station to KL Sentral proper.
In January 2008, MRCB set up a joint venture company with Pelaburan Hartanah Bumiputera Bhd (PHBB) named Jewel Surprises Sdn Bhd to develop the area. The new company will hold a lease on the plot of land for 99 years.
Transport hub Lot H: Stesen Sentral
Stesen Sentral () is the name of Lot H, which is the designated transport hub within the KL Sentral development project, although both the public and connected transit lines generally refer to the station itself as "KL Sentral".
Stesen Sentral, designed to house six rail networks, was completed in December 2000, and the rail, retail, and food and beverage operations began in April 2001. Standing on , the main building has a gross floor area of , and the specifications were based on passenger projections up to the year 2020, which was when Malaysia aspired to be a fully developed nation.
In 2008, Stesen Sentral registered over 100,000 passengers daily, which translates into 36.5 million people a year.
The station has a parking lot for visitors and people working around the KL Sentral area.
Rail services
KL Sentral is served by the following services: Express Rail Link (ERL): airport rail link to Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) : non-stop express trains to KLIA T1 and KLIA T2 stations. : commuter-style trains to KLIA that also calls at all stations in between, i.e., Bandar Tasik Selatan, Putrajaya & Cyberjaya, and Salak Tinggi. KTM Komuter: Commuter trains serving the Klang Valley region : – : – : limited express trains to and (Suspended) KTM ETS: Intercity trains to , , , , and KTM Intercity: Seasonal trains to (MySawadee), Butterworth and (Rail To See Malaysia excursion trains). Other special expresses like Lambaian Aidilfitri will also start here. Rapid KL: Light rapid transit (LRT) : – (Note: the Kelana Jaya Line station is branded as KL Sentral-redONE under the station naming rights programme.)
KL City Air Terminal (KL CAT)
KL City Air Terminal is located at the eastern and western ends of the station building and was opened on 14 April 2002 together with the KLIA Ekspres. Designed as an "Airport Terminal in the City", KL CAT is an IATA-indexed station and is assigned the IATA code XKL.