The old Central Station of Kuala Lumpur was completed at a cost of $23,000 and operational on 1 August 1910. It replaced an older station on the same site and served as Kuala Lumpur's railway hub in the city for the Federated Malay States Railways and its successor Keretapi Tanah Melayu (English: Malayan Railways). Its role was assumed by the nearby new Central Station, Kuala Lumpur Stesen Sentral, in 2001.
Arthur Benison Hubback, a British Architectural Assistant to the Director of Public Works, undertook the design of the station. He incorporated the unique Anglo-Asian architecture in the region on the station's design. The "Neo-Moorish/Mughal/Indo-Saracenic/Neo-Saracenic" style was not uncommon at the time. Similar structures, such as the Sultan Abdul Samad Building (designed by A.C. Norman, completed 1897), the Old City Hall (designed by A.B. Hubback, completed 1904) and the Jamek Mosque (designed by A.B. Hubback, completed 1909), pre-date Kuala Lumpur station.
One odd but interesting fact is that the roof was designed to hold up to 1 metre of snow!
Sadly, this section of the station is rather dilapidated, but it does hold some hidden treasures. History buffs, who wish to catch a glimpse of the past, look for a broken window to the left of the cache location and have a look inside. You will discover a forgotten room with old-fashioned counters, seemingly left untouched for decades. In addition, the doors on either side of the cache location contain Malayan tigers on the wooden paneling. Genuine sites like these are fast becoming a rare sight in Malaysia, and well worth a moment of your time.
The similarly designed Railway Administration Building is located across the road.
The KTM Administration Building (left) and Central Station (right) in the 1960s.
How to reach?
The station itself can easily be reached on foot following the road from the Sultan Abdul Samad Building (at Merdeka Square). The Pasar Seni LRT station is located 400 metres away, across the Klang River. The old Central Station is also part of the KTM Komuter network and is now referred to as Kuala Lumpur station. It should not be confused with the new central station, which is the next stop.
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