KLIA Transit & MRT Putrajaya Line from KLIA to KL Sentral for RM13.05
The new MRT Putrajaya Line offers a new connection to and from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) via Terminal Putrajaya Sentral (TPS) using the existing KLIA Transit. This transfer at Putrajaya Sentral allows passengers to avoid the higher fares set on the KLIA Transit when using Bandar Tasik Selatan or KL Sentral stations when travelling to and from KLIA. Heading to the city from KLIA, I tried out this new MRT connection from KLIA.
KLIA Transit & MRT Putrajaya Line KLIA to KL Sentral Route Map
KLIA Transit Rail Fares
The KLIA Transit train fare between KLIA Terminals 1 or 2 and Putrajaya & Cyberjaya cost RM9.40 for adults, with a 10% discount (RM8.50) when purchased on the KLIA Ekspres app.
Rapid KL Rail Fares
Rapid KL has a total of 167 LRT, MRT, and BRT stations. Check exact Rapid KL train fares using the Rail Fare Calculator.
KLIA Terminal 1
I started my journey from KLIA Terminal 1 where I rested for a while after arriving from my YoYo Bus from JB Larkin Sentral.
Heading down the escalator to the ground floor where the Express Rail Link (ERL) station is.
Make a u-turn to the station.
Tickets can be purchased from the ticket counter or ticket kiosks.
However, I used my return KLIA Ekspres app ticket purchased on my previous trip instead. Buying a return KLIA Transit ticket on the KLIA Ekspres app gets me a 10% discount, and saved me 10 sen due to the rounding up of 5 sen for the discounted single ticket. As such, this KLIA Transit journey from KLIA to Putrajaya costs RM8.45 per way.
Heading through the ticket gates with my KLIA Ekspres app ticket.
KLIA Transit departs on Platform B at KLIA.
KLIA Ekspres departs on Platform A at KLIA.
Both train services travel on their own bi-directional single track between KLIA Terminals 1 and 2.
Seats are available in the island platform.
My KLIA Transit train would be departing at 6.52am. I will use this 6.52am departure time to calculate the total travel time from KLIA to KL Sentral on this journey.
1 minute before the KLIA Transit train arrives, the information screen above the platform screen doors lights up with KLIA Transit train destination information.
KLIA Transit
My KLIA Transit train at KLIA.
Platform screen doors will open automatically, but not the train doors.
Push the button to open doors.
A platform gap filler folds out from below the train door to minimise the gap between the train and platform.
The interior of the KLIA Transit Siemens Desiro ET 425 M train.
I picked a facing seat to get more legroom.
The KLIA Transit route map has been updated to include the MRT Putrajaya Line at Putrajaya & Cyberjaya station. ERL still retains the station name of Putrajaya & Cyberjaya despite the rebranding of Putrajaya Sentral to Terminal Putrajaya Sentral (TPS).
My KLIA Transit train departed from KLIA on time at 6.52am.
Making a brief stop at Salak Tinggi with the morning crowd ready to board.
The KLIA Transit train was almost fully seated on departure from Salak Tinggi. The empty seat on the right of the picture was mine, as I got ready to disembark at Putrajaya & Cyberjaya.
Putrajaya & Cyberjaya (Terminal Putrajaya Sentral (TPS))
The KLIA Transit train journey from KLIA to Terminal Putrajaya Sentral (TPS) takes 16 minutes. Push the button to open doors.
My KLIA Transit train at Terminal Putrajaya Sentral (TPS).
This KLIA Transit train will continue on to KL Sentral. But do I want to pay RM55 for that? NO!
Exiting from Putrajaya & Cyberjaya station with my KLIA Ekspres app ticket.
The Putrajaya Sentral MRT Station is to the left of the KLIA Transit station when heading out of the KLIA Transit ticket gates.
Putrajaya Sentral MRT Station
Heading into Putrajaya Sentral MRT Station to transfer to the MRT Putrajaya Line.
Heading up the escalator to the ticket gates.
Tapping into the MRT Putrajaya Line with my Touch ‘n Go Card.
The information is shown on the screen which is behind where I tapped my card, similar to the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) in Singapore, which I don’t like, as I can’t immediately see my card information.
Heading up the escalator to the platform.
MRT Putrajaya Line
There was a departing MRT Putrajaya Line train which I immediate hopped on to just as the doors were closing.
The interior of the MRT Putrajaya Line train. Quite empty from Putrajaya Sentral, but it fills up along the way.
Crossing over the Express Rail Link (ERL) tracks.
The route map of the MRT Putrajaya Line. From Putrajaya Sentral, there are 14 stations to Tun Razak Exchange (TRX) MRT Station, where I need to change for the MRT Kajang Line to continue on to KL Sentral.
Heading into KL city with the sunrise ahead.
Tun Razak Exchange (TRX) MRT Station
Change at Tun Razak Exchange (TRX) MRT Station for the MRT Kajang Line to continue on to KL Sentral. Tun Razak Exchange (TRX) MRT Station offers a cross-platform transfer in the direction of train travel, so it’s just a few steps across to the next train.
I had a good, short waiting time of just 3 minutes here at Tun Razak Exchange (TRX) MRT Station.
From Tun Razak Exchange (TRX), there are 4 stations to Muzium Negara MRT Station, where I need to walk to KL Sentral.
3 minutes later, the MRT Kajang Line train arrived at Tun Razak Exchange (TRX).
The MRT Kajang Line train is very crowded here with not many passengers alighting, and a lot of MRT Putrajaya Line boarding.
Try your best to squeeze on board. Your discomfort will only last 2 minutes as many passengers will alight at Bukit Bintang, the next station.
Muzium Negara MRT Station (KL Sentral)
Alight at Muzium Negara MRT Station to continue on to KL Sentral. Muzium Negara MRT Station is connected to KL Sentral via an underpass and overhead bridge.
Heading out of the ticket gates.
I tapped out of the Muzium Negara MRT Station ticket gate at 8.10am. This makes it a train journey from KLIA to KL Sentral (Muzium Negara) 1 hour and 22 minutes. It’s slightly slower slower than a direct bus in good traffic, but at least the trains offer a more-or-less fixed journey time without traffic jams.
While my journey was free this time with free MRT Putrajaya Line rides offered from 16 to 31 March 2023, this would normally cost RM4.60 with a Touch ‘n Go Card.
This makes the total combined KLIA Transit and MRT Putrajaya Line fare from KLIA to KL Sentral at RM8.45 + RM4.60 = RM13.05.
I continued on to KL Sentral station proper to check the exact time needed to get to the centre of KL Sentral.
The fare table for fares from Muzium Negara is posted near the station entrance, updated with the new fares for the MRT Putrajaya Line too.
Heading up the series of escalators.
Taking the overhead bridge up and down to KL Sentral.
Entering KL Sentral.
Kuala Lumpur Sentral Railway Station (KL Sentral)
The path leads to the KL Sentral KLIA Ekspres Arrival Hall. I arrived here at 8.15am. If taking the KLIA Ekspres from KLIA, the journey takes only 28 minutes. However, my journey from KLIA to KL Sentral KLIA Ekspres Arrival Hall including the walking from Muzium Negara MRT Station took 1 hour and 23 minutes.
Continuing on to the central transfer concourse at KL Sentral.
I arrived at the main transfer concourse of KL Sentral at 8.17am, making this a total journey time from KLIA to KL Sentral by KLIA Transit and MRT Putrajaya Line 1 hour and 25 minutes. Not that bad, but not ideal.
Conclusion
There’s 3 points to consider – cheap, good, and fast.
The new KLIA Transit and MRT Putrajaya Line train combination is cheap and good but not fast, with a fare of only RM13.05 but a journey time of 1 hour and 25 minutes.
The KLIA Transit split journey is not so cheap, but good and reasonably fast, with a fare of RM23.20 and a journey time of 1 hour and 6 minutes if using a split at Salak Tinggi at 30-minutes frequency.
The KLIA Ekspres train is good and fast, but not cheap, with a journey time of only 28 minutes but a fare at a whopping RM55.
The airport buses are cheap but may not be good and fast, with prices around RM15. While every passenger will have a seat, frequency is not as good as pre-pandemic days, and waiting times for the next bus can last for more than an hour during peak periods if tickets are not purchased in advance. Buses are also prone to be stuck in traffic especially during KL peak hours, which will make the journey slow, at around 1 hour and 30 minutes or more.
Adding the travel time into perspective, the new KLIA Transit and MRT Putrajaya Line train combination fares and travel time are similar to the airport bus. It now depends if you want a reserved forward-facing seat throughout the bus ride in potential KL traffic jams, or don’t mind sitting sideways or standing in a train but skip the KL traffic jams.
You still can’t get a cheap, good, and fast way between the city and KLIA, but the new KLIA Transit and MRT Putrajaya Line train combination provides more options.