The Kuala Lumpur Railway Station is a magnificent piece of architecture, and the icon of Kuala Lumpur for decades before the Petronas Twin Towers come into the picture. It was designed by Arthur Benison Hubback (AB Hubback), the same government architect who designed most of the distinctive buildings of Mughal architecture in Malaysia, including Kuala Lumpur's the Masjid Jamek, Old City Hall, Old High Court, Selangor Railway Office building (presently Textile Museum), Ipoh's railway station, and Kuala Kangsar's Ubudiah Mosque.
Old Kuala Lumpur Railway Station, Kuala Lumpur.
By the way, local writers often incorrectly refer to the Mughal architecture as Moorish architecture. This is incorrect. The architects who built the many heritage buildings in Kuala Lumpur studied the Mughal style of India, which includes domes and chatris, not the Moorish style of Spain.
I photographed the railway station when I explored Kuala Lumpur on foot to document it for AsiaExplorers. I had some difficulties in getting the right angle and to find a proper vantage point, and hope the above photograph will give you a good idea how the building looks like. The Kuala Lumpur Railway Station building was completed in 1911 when it began service as the central hub for all the trains of Keretapi Tanah Melayu, Malaya's rail system. It underwent refurbishment in 1986 with additional new facilities and buildings, including air-conditioned waiting halls, tourism information counters, snack bars and more. Sad to say, however, all the trains don't stop here anymore, except for to KTM Kommuter. The new kid on the block is KL Sentral, less than a kilometer away.
For the sake of its heritage value to Kuala Lumpur, I hope the authorities will make good use of this beautiful building. And if you ever visit this building, you should also visit the KTM Headquarters on the other side of the road.
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