STAR LRT, a light metro system, was first conceived in the 1981 Transport Master Plan, when the Malaysian government proposed a network of LRT lines connecting Kuala Lumpur city centre with the surrounding areas. An agreement was signed between the government and STAR in 1992.[3]
The first rail transit system to provide local rail services in Kuala Lumpur and the surrounding Klang Valley suburban areas was introduced in 1995 as the KTM Komuter.[citation needed] A year later in December 1996, STAR LRT entered into service, followed by the PUTRA LRT which opened in stages beginning September 1998.[4]
The initial plan was for STAR and PUTRA to build, own and manage the LRTs. However, both companies ran into financial difficulties and were heavily in debt by 2001, which lead to the taking over of both LRTs the government via Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd, now known as Prasarana Malaysia Bhd.[5][6] The LRT lines were subsequently renamed to Ampang and Sri Petaling Line and Kelana Jaya Line respectively.
In 2003, the KL Monorail opened to service. However, the operator and owner of the line KL Monorail System Sdn Bhd quickly ran into financial difficulties and the service was again tookover by Prasarana in 2007.[7]
In 2015, the BRT Sunway Line entered into service, serving the densely populated Sunway area.[8]
In 2016, the Sri Petaling Line was extended to Putra Height with 11 new stations. The Kelana Jaya Line was similarly extended to Putra Height with 17 new stations. The extension of both lines serve the Puchong Jaya and Subang Jaya areas.[9][10]
On 16 December 2016, Phase 1 of the Kajang Line which spans 23 km from opened between Sungai Buloh to Semantan. On 17 July 2017, Phase Two of the line from Semantan to Kajang began operations.[11]
The MRT Putrajaya Line was official launched on 16 June 2022 at 3pm.[12] Phase 2 of the line was subsequently launched on 16 March 2023.[13]
The Shah Alam line which is still under construction as of February 2024 is scheduled to open on March 2025.[14]
Integration
Initially, different competing companies operated the various transit systems and had developed these rail and bus systems separately and at various times. As a result, many of these systems did not integrate well with the others, making transferring from system to system inconvenient for passengers. Aggravated by Kuala Lumpur's poor pedestrian network, moving from one rail system to another often required a lot of walking, stair-climbing, and escalator-use.
Since 28 November 2011, the paid areas of shared stations along the Rapid KL system for the Kelana Jaya Line, Ampang Line, and Sri Petaling Line, as well as the KL Monorail from 1 March 2012, have been integrated physically under a common ticketing system, effectively making those stations interchange stations. This enables commuters to transfer between lines the interchange stations without buying a new ticket each time, provided that they do not exit the paid area. This is currently possible at the Titiwangsa, Hang Tuah, Putra Heights, and Masjid Jamek stations. With the opening of the latest rapid transit lines on 17 July 2017 and 16 June 2022, the Kajang Line and Putrajaya Line respectively, the integrated system has been expanded to Pasar Seni, Merdeka-Plaza Rakyat, Maluri, Tun Razak Exchange, Chan Sow Lin and Sungai Besi stations, and to USJ 7 station with the launching of the BRT Sunway Line.
Fares
The Touch 'n Go stored value fare card is accepted as a mode of payment on the Rapid Bus system, LRT, MRT, BRT, and monorail lines, as well as the KTM Komuter, easing the hassle of buying separate tickets for travelling on different networks. However, the fare integration for the Rapid KL system does not include other rail systems such as KTM Komuter and Express Rail Link.
Rapid Rail, the operator of the LRT, MRT, monorail, BRT lines, and Rapid Bus (which covers about 70% of the Klang Valley's bus network), provide a daily and monthly pass than cost RM5 and RM50 respectively.[15]
Since February 2024, KTM Kommuter services started accepting credit and debit card as payment method, including NFC based mobile payment services such as Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay.[16] RapidKL services are slated to follow suit with the implementation of open payment system starting March 2024 and concluding by March 2025.[17]
Klang Valley Integrated Transit System Map that include proposed and current lines
The fourth LRT line, the Shah Alam Line is also under the construction phase.[21] The construction of the third KVMRT line, the Circle Line is expected to commence in 2024.[22]
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