KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 30 — It’s one of the city’s busiest areas and traffic can be a nightmare, day or night. But a dream has come true for most. There is no need to brave the horrendous road congestion and fork out a lot of money to pay parking fee in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur.

There is now a MRT (mass rapid transit) station there and it’s your guaranteed convenient, comfortable and cheap connection to the city’s main shopping hub.

Launched in July, it is known as the Pavilion Kuala Lumpur-Bukit Bintang MRT station. Upscale shopping mall Pavilion, located within walking distance from the station, was given naming rights under MRT Corp’s Station Naming Rights Programme.

The first in South-east Asia, the scheme offers corporations a chance to acquire the right to “dress” a station and display their brand identities as well as name it after their organisations.

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With a decor themed ‘Dynamic’, the bright red wall aptly reflects the energy of Bukit Bintang.
With a decor themed ‘Dynamic’, the bright red wall aptly reflects the energy of Bukit Bintang.

In terms of interior, the underground station features walls in different tones of red. With a décor themed “Dynamic”, the idea (for the walls) was chosen to reflect the vibrant energy of the city’s shopping and entertainment district.

Bukit Bintang, an area which mainly consists of shopping centres, dining options and cafes as well as boutique hotels and bars, came about in the late 1980s when business tycoon Tan Sri Yeoh Tiong Lay (who passed away recently) proposed a major shopping cluster in the heart of the city’s commercial district.

Always buzzing with locals and tourists alike, it seems that the underground part of Bukit Bintang is equally lively thanks to the MRT stop which is 28m down below or the equivalent of a 10-storey building extending underneath.

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The reason why it’s built deep downwards is probably due to the lack of space in the concrete jungle that is Bukit Bintang.

What’s also interesting is that the station which is part of the MRT Sungai Buloh-Kajang (SBK) Line consisting of 31 stops, is designed with platforms on different floors — one for Sungai Buloh-bound trains and another for Kajang-bound trains.

To get to the AirAsia-Bukit Bintang Monorail station, exit from Entrance D.
To get to the AirAsia-Bukit Bintang Monorail station, exit from Entrance D.

A major plus point is that the station has five entrances, which means you can access it from several parts of the area without having to cross the busy roads there. Better still, you can also use the underground station to get to several malls and places within the area with much ease, convenience and minus the traffic.

Entrance A leads to Jalan Alor and Changkat Bukit Bintang. It is located beside the Kentucky Fried Chicken outlet, which opens 24 hours.

Entrance C, which is a stone’s throw away from BB Plaza and currently undergoing major reconstruction work, is at the intersection of Jalan Sultan Ismail and Jalan Bukit Bintang. From here you can easily walk to Sungei Wang Plaza, Plaza Low Yat, Federal Hotel and other places.

Entrance D is right next to high-street fashion store Zara in Lot 10 mall. This entrance is walking distance from Fahrenheit 88 mall, Sephora beauty boutique, Pavilion and JW Marriott hotel, to name a few.

If you’re thinking of going to Pavilion from the station, take the stairs up to Entrance E as it is closest to the mall. The Grand Millennium and Wolo Bukit Bintang hotels are also nearby this particular entrance.

Entrance F is along Jalan Sultan Ismail and it’s close to fast food outlet McDonald’s, Watsons personal care store and Ain Arabia in Jalan Berangan. Dubbed Kuala Lumpur’s “Little Arab”, this area is a place where you can find many eateries, mini markets and perfume shops selling all things Middle Eastern.

Apart from these, the elevated AirAsia-Bukit Bintang Monorail station, which is connected to Lot 10 and Sungei Wang Plaza, is easily accessible from the MRT station particularly from Entrance C and Entrance D.

The facade of Entrance E.
The facade of Entrance E.