Bukit Bintang MRT station

The Bukit Bintang MRT station, or otherwise due to sponsorship reasons, Pavilion Kuala Lumpur-Bukit Bintang MRT station (working name: Bukit Bintang Sentral station) is a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) underground station in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Construction started around 2012 and opened on 17 July 2017. It serves as one of the stations on Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit (KVMRT) Sungai Buloh-Kajang Line. 5 walkways and entrances connect iconic buildings and malls in the Bukit Bintang locality, including Pavilion KL, Starhill Gallery and Fahrenheit 88 shopping malls.[1] The main theme of the MRT station is Dynamic Pulse of Colour.[2]

SBK18A  Pavilion Kuala Lumpur – Bukit Bintang
Rapid transit station
Entrance D of the station.
Other names	武吉免登 (Chinese) புகித் பின்டாங்க் (Tamil)
Location	Jalan Bukit Bintang, Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
Coordinates	3°8′47.41″N 101°42′39.41″E
Owned by	MRT Corp
Operated by	Rapid Rail
Line(s)	9 Kajang Line
Platforms	2 split platforms
Tracks	2
Connections	Walking distance to  MR6  Bukit Bintang for KL Monorail
Construction
Structure type	Underground
Parking	Not available
Bicycle facilities	Available
Other information
Station code	SBK18A
History
Opened	17 July 2017
Services
Preceding station     Following station Merdeka towards Sungai Buloh Sungai Buloh-Kajang Line Phase 2 Tun Razak Exchange towards Kajang
Location
SBK18A  Pavilion Kuala Lumpur – Bukit Bintang Location within the Kuala Lumpur

This MRT station, despite its name, is not integrated and not to be confused with the separate Bukit Bintang Monorail station, which is serviced by the KL Monorail line instead. Paid zone-to-paid zone integration was once proposed but not constructed at the moment.

History and background

According to earlier plans, there were meant to be two stations in Bukit Bintang, namely Bukit Bintang West and Bukit Bintang East (or Bukit Bintang 1 and Bukit Bintang 2), but was later reduced to only one Bukit Bintang station after public display and feedback. This was reflected in the stations rather odd numbering  SBK18A .

The construction of the MRT station started around 2012 and ended around mid-2017. It was opened on 17 July 2017 as part of Phase 2 of the Sungai Buloh-Kajang Line.[3][4]

Station naming rights

The station naming rights are acquired by Pavilion Kuala Lumpur[5] that owns the Pavilion Kuala Lumpur shopping center, a high-end and high-street shopping mall, situated in the vicinity of the station located east of the station.[6] The nearby monorail station has a different branding however (AIRASIA-Bukit Bintang).

Location

Map of Bukit Bintang MRT station

The MRT station is situated in the heart of Bukit Bintang (translated from Malay to English as "Starhill"), a shopping hub in the Kuala Lumpur Golden Triangle commercial district. Located underneath Jalan Bukit Bintang, the station's entrances are located along the iconic intersection of Jalan Bukit Bintang and Jalan Sultan Ismail.

Interchange

The view from Platform 1 (Kajang-bound) of the escalators from the concourse level to platform 2 (Sungai Buloh-bound) below.

The station will only be connected to the station to the Bukit Bintang Monorail station located right beside the station, and not by paid area-to-paid area transfer, due to the lack of space, although it might be proposed and constructed in the future. Those transferring from the MRT station to the monorail station will have to walk along the Yayasan Selangor building or Lot 10 shopping mall to get to the MRT station from the Monorail station and vice versa, although both stations are only a stone's throw away from each other. The walkway to the monorail station is uncovered.

This arrangement was similar to Masjid Jamek, in which the Ampang Line and Kelana Jaya Line stations were not integrated and functioned as two separate stations, until their ticketing systems were integrated in 2011.

Station Layout

G	Street Level	Changkat Bukit Bintang, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Jalan Sultan Ismail
B1	Concourse	Staircase/Escalators/Lifts to and from entrances, shoplots, ticket vending machines, information counter, faregates, escalators/lifts to platforms 1 and 2
B2	Split platform, Doors will open on the right
	Platform 1	9 Kajang Line towards  SBK35  Kajang (←)
B4	Split platform, Doors will open on the left
	Platform 2	9 Kajang Line towards  SBK01  Sungai Buloh (→)

The layout for the station has its own unique features that are not found in other stations in the Klang Valley. It has up to 5 entrances around the crossroads of Jalan Bukit Bintang and Jalan Sultan Ismail, allowing commuters access to several malls in the vicinity, for example Pavilion Kuala Lumpur and Lot 10. The station, being located in an area with limited space, required it to be built underground at about 28m deep. This was to avoid demolishing buildings along the Jalan Bukit Bintang road to make way for construction.[7] The station contains the longest escalator for all 31 stations along the SBK route at 20 metres. Bukit Bintang MRT station is also unique in a sense that it is one of only two stations on the line with split platforms, which means the platforms are stacked one on the other; one for Sungai Buloh-bound trains and one for Kajang-bound trains.

Exits and Entrance

Kajang Line station
Code	Destination	Picture
A	Changkat Bukit Bintang KFC, shoplots, Jalan Alor
C	Jalan Bukit Bintang monorail station Northwest entrance, Bukit Bintang Plaza(Permanently Closed), Low Yat Plaza, Yayasan Selangor, pedestrian crossing
D	Jalan Bukit Bintang monorail station Northeast entrance, Lot 10 shopping mall, Fahrenheit 88, Starhill Gallery, Pavilion KL
E	Jalan Bukit Bintang Wolo Bukit Bintang hotel, shoplots
F	Jalan Sultan Ismail McDonald's, shoplots, Arab Street

Exit B is reserved for the future integration between the MRT station and the Monorail station.

Design

As with all of the underground station of the MRT, Bukit Bintang station is also given an artistic interior theme, which is "Dynamic".[8] The theme, chosen to represent the dynamic and exciting elements of the country's top central business district, is reflected with different tones of red on the walls in the interior of the station that suggest movements.[9]

Wall of the Bukit Bintang MRT station showing the "Dynamic" theme, along with a similarly-designed bench

Around the station

• Fahrenheit 88
• Lot 10
• Starhill Gallery
• Sungei Wang Plaza
• Pavilion Kuala Lumpur
• Bukit Bintang monorail station

References

1. "Bukit Bintang MRT station will have 5 exits". forum.lowyat.net.
2. "Seven hidden gems of the MRT". Star Malaysia. 2017-07-09. Retrieved 2017-07-17.
3. "The Launch Of MRT Phase 2 Today Gets M'sians All Excited, How Will Commuters Benefit". Malaysian Digest. Archived from the original on 2017-07-29. Retrieved 2017-08-07.
4. Zakariah, Zarina. "Free ride on MRT SBK Line for today, 50% discount for MRT, LRT, Monorail until Merdeka Day - PM | New Straits Times | Malaysia General Business Sports and Lifestyle News". Nst.com.my. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
5. Tan, Janice. "MRT Corp rebrands 4 stations as part of station naming rights programme". Marketing Interactive. Retrieved 2017-08-07.
6. by m. hafidz mahpar (2017-07-11). "Four MRT stations along SBK Line to be 'branded' - Business News | The Star Online". Thestar.com.my. Retrieved 2017-07-19.
7. "Fun facts about the MRT Sungai Buloh-Kajang line". 2017-07-17. Retrieved 2017-08-07.
8. "Underground jewels for the Klang Valley MRT - Features | The Star Online". www.thestar.com.my. Retrieved 2017-08-07.
9. by meng yew choong (2016-05-01). "Innovative designs for transit furniture - Education | The Star Online". Thestar.com.my. Retrieved 2017-07-19.

External links

• Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit website