Kuala Lumpur Railway Station & The Railway Administartion Building

Replaced but not forgotten- Kuala Lumpur Railway Station

The emergence of the spanking new KL Sentral, quietly marked the end of a glorious era for the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station as a central transportation hub. However, this station continues to charm locals and tourists alike with its illustrious history and grandiose style.

Architect: Arthur Benison Hubback
The outer classical facade gives no hint of its inner steel structure.Completed in 1910, the Kuala Lumpur Railway Station was an epitome of British colonization and opulence.

Hubback styled the facade to the Neo- Moorish or Mughal fashion. A style which enjoyed popularity in the late- 19th Century and early century colonial India. A purely Western invention,

The structure however was fairly advance, using steel frames and trusses. This method of construction was fast, easy to assemble and save cost. Hubback made use of the fact that sunlight was abundant in Malaya by inserting skylights in the roof to provide ample natural lighting to the platforms below.

In 1986, refurbishment works on the extended platform, which served as a link between the old station and the adjacent Dayabumi Complex, took a more modernist approach. Large concrete pillars were constructed as supports to a space frames system roof. Today the marked contrast of styles between the two parts of this station can be liken to our nation's history. The old vernacular Western front alludes to our colonial past, while the new foreshadows a dawn of a new nation.







The use of skylights to introduce natural lighting.


The roof of the added platform uses space frames.


Column detailing

The Railway Administration Building




Pantheon detailing


Column detailing


Corbel arch

ling