- Fare and where to buy tickets
- Metro lines
- Working hours
- History
- Peculiarities
One of the most convenient and fastest modes of transport in the Malaysian capital is the Kuala Lumpur metro. Some visitors to the city find this transport system too complicated and prefer to use a taxi, but their ideas about this metro do not correspond to reality. In fact, using this metro is very simple. This does not even require knowledge of English. Perhaps, at first glance, the Kuala Lumpur subway will seem unusual, exotic, but if you try to delve into the rules for using it, you will understand that they are very simple and logical.
If you have not yet decided which of the hotels in the Malaysian capital to stay, we advise you to choose the one that is located near the metro station. This will save you a lot of time every day. You just need to leave the hotel - and go in a comfortable carriage to the area of the city you need (the metro lines cover almost all areas of the metropolis that are of interest to tourists).
Fare and where to buy tickets
To get into the Kuala Lumpur Metro, you need to buy a token from one of the machines at the station entrances. There you can also see a glazed space that looks like a ticket office, but it is not intended for selling tickets. Those who have any questions or difficulties while using the metro system come here. The woman sitting on the other side of the glass partition answers questions and provides the necessary information. She also exchanges money.
Local residents use magnetic cards more often than tokens, but, according to tourists, it is still more profitable for city visitors to purchase tokens. The fare, as in many other metro systems on the planet, depends on the distance. The minimum price is just over one ringgit (this is the name of the Malaysian national currency). The average cost is from two to two and a half ringgit.
When buying tokens from the vending machine, you can choose the English or Malay interface. Switching from one to the other is done using the green button. The actions that need to be performed in the first place: select the desired branch (here the colors of the lines will help you navigate) and the station to which you are going. Immediately after that, you will see the fare on the screen.
Please note: the vending machine does not accept large bills! Maximum five ringgits. Change is issued in small bills (one ringgit each) or coins. After the purchase of tokens has been successfully completed, a large yellow smiley face appears on the screen.
Upon entering the Kuala Lumpur Metro, a token is applied to a reader installed on the turnstile. Be sure to keep your token until the very end of your trip! When exiting, it must be inserted into the slot of the turnstile.
Perhaps at first all these actions will seem difficult to you, because residents of Russian cities are accustomed to slightly different rules for using the metro. But, believe me, after a few days of staying in the Malaysian capital (or maybe much earlier), you will get so used to the new rules that you will start to comply with them automatically.
Metro lines
The system of the Kuala Lumpur subway is almost entirely aboveground and aboveground, with the exception of several underground stations. Sometimes the paths can go very high above the ground. Such sections of the metro are a kind of viewing platforms: during the trip, you can admire the wonderful views of the city, opening from a height of several floors. If you want a perfect view, sit in the first or last car of the train.
The metro system has five lines:
- Yellow;
- Red;
- Burgundy;
- Green;
- Dark green.
The length of the Yellow Line is about twenty kilometers, there are eighteen stations on it. The length of the Red Line is about fifty kilometers. There are thirty-seven stations on it. The movement on this line is fully automated (there are no drivers on the trains). The length of the Burgundy line is forty-five kilometers, with twenty-nine stations on it. The green line is six kilometers longer and there are slightly more stations on it (thirty-one). The dark green line is the shortest: there are only seven stations on its six kilometers.
Currently, the Kuala Lumpur metro is rapidly being built, new stations are emerging, and therefore the metro scheme is quickly becoming obsolete. Before the trip, it is advisable to study the newest version of it. Moreover, it is better to find this scheme on the Internet in Russian (or in any other language that you know well).
Working hours
Trains on the Kuala Lumpur Metro start operating at 6 a.m. (later on Sunday). The work of this transport system ends at about eleven o'clock in the morning.
When the metro is at its maximum, the train movement interval is two or three minutes. When the influx of passengers decreases, the interval increases to ten minutes.
History
The history of the Kuala Lumpur Metro began in the mid-90s of the 20th century. Quite quickly after the opening of this transport system, difficulties arose associated with an unexpectedly low passenger traffic. The local population preferred cars to move around the city, only a few residents of the metropolis chose the metro. Companies that invested in the construction of the Kuala Lumpur Metro suffered heavy losses. The situation was aggravated by the financial crisis of the late 90s that erupted in Asia. The parent companies of the metro were unable to repay their loans. The country's government has restructured their debts.
Currently, as noted above, the Kuala Lumpur Metro is developing very actively.
Peculiarities
The stations have a modern design, they are decorated with aluminum, stainless steel and plastic.
The air conditioners installed in the carriages are powerful enough; it is cool in the subway. More precisely, the air temperature there is from twenty-one to twenty-three degrees Celsius. Of course, this cannot be called cold, but compared to the air temperature in a tropical metropolis, the climate of the subway is perceived precisely as cool. This is why locals dress warmly on the subway. Anyone who travels to the Malaysian capital can be advised to take some sweater or long-sleeved jacket with them - they will come in handy on the subway. But in its cars you can take a break from the tropical Malaysian heat.
In the Kuala Lumpur metro, it is prohibited to consume not only alcohol, but any kind of drinks in general. It is also forbidden to receive food in carriages and at stations. These bans apply not only to the metro, but also to other modes of transport in the Malaysian capital.
Smoking is also prohibited. More precisely, smoking is allowed only in specially designated areas. If you break this rule, you will be fined ten thousand ringgit.
Photography is not allowed in the subway.
If you want to point at something in the metro with your finger, then point only with your thumb, never with your index. This is a Malaysian rule of good manners and must be observed not only in the subway, but also in other public places. Of course, for not observing it, no one will penalize you, but you can get into an awkward position.
Official website: www.myrapid.com.my
Kuala Lumpur Metro
