Monorail, Kuala Lumpur

Unlike Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur is well served by mass transit system that includes trains of more than one type. The cutest to look at is the monorail which even seems build especially for the locals considering its low ceiling – perfect fit with the exception of some European head sticking out all the way to the roof. The only disadvantage of the otherwise immaculately knit network is the lack of advance purchase of tickets or passes. The result is long queues during rush hour and added stress for nothing. There must be some really important reason why this is a preferred option for the companies but at the end the customers that they are serving are the ones to suffer.

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the monorail of Malaysia was made famous by the film entrapment in 1999 starring sean connery and catherine zeta jones) and remains one of the icon of kuala lumpur. lately it has been gradually replaced by the Light Railway Transit which have dual tracked rails hence the momorail one has a one line tracks along kuala lumpur unike the Light Railways which has multiple lines around KL. The Kuala Lumpur Monorail Line system consists of a single dual-way line that links areas of inner Kuala Lumpur previously not served by rail transport, namely Brickfields, Bukit Bintang and Chow Kit, with pre-existing LRT and/or KTM Komuter stations at KL Sentral, Hang Tuah, Bukit Nanas and Titiwangsa. The line's two terminus stations are on a single track. The Basic Fares start at 1.20 Ringgit one way and gradually increases depending on the number of stations. it is interconnected by the LRT at the Titiwangsa, KL Sentral and Hang Tuah stations that you can change to LRT stations (but pay for the LRT fares for the LRT destinations too).

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The monorail in KL is very different than the skytrain in Bangkok, the trains are much smaller and fatter, and there are a number of lines and changing points, the centre being KL Central. It isn't much cheaper than using taxis if there is more than 1 person but it is well worth trying out the monorail for the novelty value of travelling overhead.

The trains are quite crowded on rush hours. Similar to the Sydney monorail, I'm not sure if it is of much to use to the locals because of its limited route (around the shopping district).

I took the monorail from Bukit Bintang to Maharajalela (Chinatown night market).

On the right side of the website, click on the transit network integration to see that it's the Putraline you should take to go to the Petronas towers (KLCC). You can click on Around Monorail Stations to get a glimpse on which hotel is near a particular train station.

The tracks runs from KL Sentral to Titiwangsa making stops at Tun Sambanthan, Maharajalela, Hang Tuah where you can interchange with the STAR LRT trains, Imbi (Berjaya Times Square), Bukit Bintang, Raja Chulan, Bukit Nanas, Medan Tuanku, Chow Kit and lastly arriving at Titiwangsa which you can also interchange to the STAR LRT trains.

From one end to another the fare is RM2.50 each way.

Train starts at 7am till 10pm daily.

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The Kuala Lumpur monorail is a very convenient mode of transport for the tourists as it serves the central part of Kuala Lumpur where the tourists are likely to go.
It stops at 11 stations including places like KL central, Bukit Bintang and Petronas towers, so you have a good chance of stepping on to the monorail.
It´s a very fast and efficient way of getting around the city where you often have traffic jams during rush hour, so get on the monorail if you wanna get there fast.

Getting around on the Monorail is simple. The lines are colour coded for easy identification. Although they can tend to be quite packed. We had to wait for the next one as we couldn't get onto the first....but never mind, they are only about 10 minutes apart.

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The Monorail is operated as a single line system with 11 stations over a length of 8.6 km. Completed in 2003, the stations on the KL Monorail line are KL Sentral, Tun Sambanthan, Maharajalela, Hang Tuah, Imbi, Bukit Bintang, Raja Chulan, Bukit Nanas, Dang Wangi, Medan Tuanku, Chow Kit and Titiwangsa. The fares range from RM1.20 to RM2.50, which can be paid using single-journey tickets, Stored Value Cards (which cannot be used on RapidKL LRT's), and with Touch 'N Go Cards (which can be use on the LRT as well as other selected places). Great fun to travel on!