Klang Valley Integrated Transit System

Rail transit in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor began in 1886 when a railway line from Kuala Lumpur to Bukit Kuda (just outside Klang) was opened. The line remains operational to this day as the Tanjung Malim-Port Klang Line.

The first rail transit system to provide local rail services in Kuala Lumpur and the surrounding Klang Valley suburban areas was introduced on 14 August 1995, as the KTM Komuter.^[3] A year later in December 1996, STAR LRT entered into service, followed by the PUTRA LRT which opened in stages beginning September 1998.^[4]

STAR LRT, a light rapid transit (LRT) 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 and construction began in 1993.^[5] A second LRT system, the PUTRA LRT, was conceived and began construction in 1994. Both systems would eventually begin operations in 1996 and 1998 respectively.

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 led to the government taking over both LRTs via Syarikat Prasarana Negara Bhd, now known as Prasarana Malaysia.^[6][7] The LRT lines were subsequently renamed to LRT Ampang and Sri Petaling Lines, and LRT Kelana Jaya Line respectively.

In April 2002, Express Rail Link, which began construction in May 1997, entered into service, with two lines that connect KL Sentral to the newly built Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) (now KLIA Terminal 1). The lines were extended to KLIA's Terminal 2 (then known as klia2) in 2014.

In 2003, the KL Monorail opened for service. However, the operator and owner of the line, KL Monorail System Sdn Bhd, quickly ran into financial difficulties and the service was again taken over by Prasarana Malaysia in 2007.^[8]

In 2015, the BRT Sunway Line entered into service, serving the densely populated Sunway area.^[9]

In 2016, the Sri Petaling Line was extended to Putra Heights with 11 new stations. The Kelana Jaya Line was similarly extended to Putra Heights with 17 new stations. The extension of both lines serves the Puchong Jaya and Subang Jaya areas.^[10][11]

In 2010, proposals for a mass rapid transit (MRT) system similar to the Singapore's MRT network was put forth. This resulted in the launching of the Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transith (KVMRT) project.^[12] The first line to be constructed, the MRT Kajang Line, opened on 16 December 2016.^[13] A second MRT line, the MRT Putrajaya Line official opened on 16 June 2022.^[14] Phase 2 of the line was subsequently launched on 16 March 2023.^[15] Unlike the LRT lines, the MRT lines are owned by MRT Corp, but are integrated with the LRT and Monorail lines and are all operated under a single rapid transit system called Rapid KL.

Two future lines are set to be introduced in the Klang Valley. The LRT Shah Alam Line, which is still under construction, is scheduled to open in the second half of 2026. It will be the third LRT system and fourth LRT in the Klang Valley.^[16] A third MRT line and the final part of the KVMRT project, the MRT Circle Line, is currently in its planning stage and is projected to be completed by 2032.

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 at the interchange stations without buying a new ticket each time, provided that they do not exit the paid area. This became 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, Kwasa Damansara and Sungai Besi stations, and to USJ 7 station with the launching of the BRT Sunway Line.

The KTM Komuter lines and Express Rail Link (ERL) lines implement their own ticketing systems and only allow integration between their respective rail lines.

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 and ERL lines, easing the hassle of buying separate tickets for travelling on different networks. However, the fare integration for the Rapid KL system does not include KTM Komuter and Express Rail Link.

Rapid Rail, the operator of the LRT, MRT and monorail lines, and Rapid Bus (which covers about 70% of the Klang Valley's bus network as well as the BRT Sunway Line), provide various daily and monthly passes for commuters.^[17]

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.^[18] Rapid KL services are slated to follow suit with the implementation of open payment system starting March 2024 and concluding by March 2025.^[19]

Railway lines around Klang Valley

The KTM Komuter, a commuter rail service, provide local rail services in Kuala Lumpur and the surrounding Klang Valley suburban areas. Light rapid transit (LRT) lines and monorail line were introduced later on to serve the urban Kuala Lumpur area and its satellite towns. (i.e. Ampang, Petaling Jaya, Subang Jaya, Puchong, Gombak, etc.) The mass rapid transit (MRT) lines aims to connect the outskirts of the Klang Valley (i.e. Damansara, Sungai Buloh, Putrajaya, Kajang) with the city centre. Malaysia's first bus rapid transit (BRT) line was introduced to ease pedestrian traffic in Bandar Sunway, a thriving leisure and entertainment township in Subang Jaya. 3 airport rail links connect the city centre with the 2 major airports of the Klang Valley, two to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport's (KLIA) Terminals 1 and 2, and one to the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport.