Thursday, March 11, 2010

Puduraya bus terminal to close for 4 months from March 19

Latest Update: Puduraya Bus Terminal reopens today, April 16

Almost ready..

Related article: Puduraya's new location.. Bukit Jalil Parking lot F

Now here is a great picture (courtesy of The Star) of a popular landmark in Kuala Lumpur, the Puduraya bus terminal or Perhentian Puduraya in the local language. Notice how clear and bright the weather is. On most days, Malaysia is like this - clear and sunny. Surprisingly, there is not much traffic when this picture was taken - probably it was shot during a festival after the exodus.


The building complex in the center is the Puduraya station, the main bus station terminal in Kuala Lumpur where long-distance buses arrive and leave from Puduraya for all over Peninsular Malaysia, as well as Thailand and Singapore. Opened in 1976, Puduraya is especially busy during public holidays and around festive periods.

The Star reported that Puduraya will be closed for four months starting March 19 for a terminal upgrade. The drastic upgrade is aimed at taking care of current problems of traveller discomfort, lack of amenities and traffic congestion around the terminal.

Let's look around the area a little, shall we? The tower block on top of Puduraya station is the Puduraya Hotel. It's a 2/3-star hotel and has recently been refurbished.

The rail track you see on the right is the LRT (Light Rail Transit) track. This is the Ampang line, one of two lines that ply the city and the suburbs.

Chinatown is just a walk away. If you head towards the 4 o'clock direction, you'd be in Chinatown in 5-10 minutes. If you are taking the LRT, the station at Puduraya (called Plaza Rakyat) would be a good place to get off; the other station being Pasar Seni which is nearer Pasar Seni (Central Market).

Back to the picture.. The road on the left is the famous Jalan Pudu (Pudu Road). This road is one of the busiest and oldest in the city. This is the south-bound road. Yes, it leads south to Negri Sembilan (Seremban), Malacca, Johore (Muar) and Singapore. Shops along the road on the left (partly cut off) have been around for decades, probably pre-war era. The buildings further down the road are newer buildings that replaced the old shops.

Still further down Pudu Road, at the 11 o'clock location, is the hub of KL's Golden Triangle - the commercial district of Jalan Bukit Bintang - where you will find KL's best hotels, shopping malls, finest dine and wine restaurants..and everything else.

And that's a gist of what's there in that part of busy Kuala Lumpur. Like every city in the world, there is always the charm of the old amidst the new. If you venture downtown, you will still see enchanting pre-war buildings. They have been preserved and refurbished for their historical value.

Kuala Lumpur was once a flourishing tin-mining town which grew into what it is today. Kuala Lumpur still holds the record for having the tallest twin towers in the world, the Petronas Twin Towers. Let me leave you with this lovely image of the KL skyline at night borrowed from Wikipedia. Welcome to Kuala Lumpur!

14 comments:

  1. yeah, just saw that news.. in one way it's good that Jalan Pudu will not be congested anymore, but too bad Jalan Hang Tuah will be very jam!!! :(

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  2. Heard about it weeks ago. Hopefully it will no cause us to much havoc. :p

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  3. Anonymous4:12 PM

    I think this bus terminal should be relocated. Causes congestion right where it is currently located. We need an improved bus terminal.

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  4. Upgrading? Thought supposed to be relocated? Hm...???Thanks for 'clocking' the various places of interest very informative.

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  5. Interesting links to all the major tourist spots in KL. Have not started blogging back then. Great info. tQ

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  6. Hey there. Been a while huh.

    Yeah, I heard about it in the news. I don't usually pass that area these days. And I thought they were supposed to relocate that ancient nuisance.

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  7. I know! This photo was taken during the CNY holidays! : )

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  8. I think KL has a certain charm to it which I like! Of course I hate all the traffic jam and all, but other than that, it's a charming city.

    I have taken buses from Puduraya many years ago, and I can tell you I absolutely hated the bus terminal! It was filled with so much smoke I think spending your time there will definitely shorten your life, haha!

    You seem to know your way around KL very well, I am more of a PJ boy, but have grown to love KL the last few years : )

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  9. SK, always best to avoid that part of KL, if possible.

    Tekkaus, the upgrade actually started months ago and 20% has been completed. This closure is to facilitate completion of the upgrade. Some inconvenience is expected, I guess.

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  10. Mei Teng, the relocation was the plan but wonder what changed it. Frankly, I am glad it is staying. I feel this location is convenient for the public to get to.

    Hi webmaster of Website design, you are welcome and thanks for bookmarking this page. Kuala Lumpur looks forward to welcoming you.

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  11. CheaHSan, you're welcome and you thought right. It was supposed to be relocated but I'm glad it's staying.

    Bananaz, you're welcome. Glad you found the links interesting. So you are still a green bananaz.. hehe..

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  12. Hey Gus, it sure has been a while.

    Good to have you back in the blogosphere again and certainly great to have you visiting. Welcome back!

    Foong, it could be during the Hari Raya too. Both these festivals normally leave the city deserted. Best time to go downtown.

    You are right, KL is a charming city of the old and the new and I love it. Can't imagine living anywhere else, but who knows...

    I couldn't agree more about the poor air quality at the bus terminal. Hope the upgrade will take care of that too among others.

    I can't say I know every part of KL but quite enough to get me around though the new roads along Jalan Sultan Ismail and Bukit Bintang area can be rather confusing.

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  13. Anonymous12:56 PM

    So where can I catch a bus to Ipoh on April 30th then?

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  14. Hi Anonymous, during this 4-month Puduraya upgrade period, you can take your bus from Bukit Jalil Parking Lot F, which is adjacent to the hockey stadium. No worries though as there are RapidKL shuttle buses to and from Puduraya. Read details here.

    Thanks for stopping by. It was indeed most timely..

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