WITH the first phase of the Putrajaya MRT line now running, commuters can easily access different areas of the city and explore the many local attractions along the alignment.
To encourage use of the new line, members of the public have been offered a month of free rides starting June 16.
The 12 stations on the new line are Kwasa Damansara, Kampung Selamat, Sungai Buloh, Damansara Damai, Sri Damansara Barat, Sri Damansara Sentral, Sri Damansara Timur, Metro Prima, Kepong Baru, Jinjang, Sri Delima and Kampung Batu.
The first three stations – Kwasa Damansara, Kampung Selamat and Sungai Buloh – were built during the construction of the Kajang MRT line and had now been officially launched as part of the Putrajaya MRT line.
All 12 MRT stations are supported by feeder buses, along with Rapid KL and GoKL buses (for the Kampung Batu MRT station).
StarMetro hopped on the trains plying the new MRT line to find places of interest to visit.
Kwasa Damansara
Kwasa Damansara MRT station is the first linked interchange station between the Kajang and Putrajaya lines.
It is the first station along the Putrajaya line to have a park-and-ride facility, with 500 parking bays for cars and 100 for motorcycles, according to MRT Corporation.
Sungai Buloh
Sungai Buloh MRT station, located northwest of Kuala Lumpur, is linked to the KTM Komuter Pelabuhan Klang line and KTM ETS (Electric Train Service).
Hospital Sungai Buloh is a 13-minute ride (6.7km) away.
There are no feeder buses servicing the station as yet.
Damansara Damai
This station serves the suburb of Damansara Damai.
Gardening enthusiasts and those with a green thumb can now travel on the new line to visit several plant nurseries operating along Jalan Kuala Selangor.
Potters Garden is a plant nursery that is a short drive from the Damansara Damai station.
From the station, it is a five-minute taxi ride to a number of nurseries.
One of them is Potters Garden, which is 1.2km away.
Leu Ping Hui, who frequents the nursery, said he liked the collection of plants sold there which could not be found elsewhere.
“Plants and gardening tools are quite affordable here,” added the 50-year-old.
Sri Damansara Barat
Those looking for a bargain can shop to their heart’s content as there is a thrift store that is a five minutes’ walk from the Sri Damansara Barat MRT station.
Suliana will now be taking the MRT more often to visit the thrift store near the Sri Damansara Barat station. – Photos: IZZRAFIQ ALIAS and MUHAMAD SHAHRIL ROSLI/The Star
JBR Bundle sells second-hand items such as clothes, shoes and bags aside from bigger items like bicycles.
Nor Suliana Mohammad, 26, likes shopping at JBR because she can stretch her ringgit here.
She also enjoys the element of surprise, as “you never know what you may find while sifting through the racks”.
“I will definitely take the MRT now to get to this thrift store as it is much more convenient than before,” she added.
Sri Damansara Sentral
If you are craving dim sum, you can now enjoy plates of these freshly steamed little bites at Restaurant Ful Lai in Bandar Sri Menjalara, Kepong.
Restaurant Ful Lai in Bandar Menjalara is a 10-minute walk from the Sri Damansara Sentral station and serves freshly steamed dim sum.
The restaurant, which has been in business for more than 10 years, is an eight-minute feeder-bus ride away from the station.
Open from 6.30am to cater to the breakfast crowd, Ful Lai has a wide variety of dim sum.
Expect classics such as har gao (prawn dumplings), siew mai (meat and prawn dumplings) and steamed buns with an assortment of fillings.
Restaurant manager Danielle Loi, 39, said customers would often come for the freshly made char siew pau (steamed buns with barbecued meat filling).
The MRT feeder bus also stops at Waterfront Parkcity and Plaza Arkadia mall.
Metro Prima
Seamless travel: The Metro Prima MRT station’s proximity to Aeon Mall makes it convenient for family outings. – IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star
A convenient place for a grocery run would be Aeon Mall in Metro Prima complex, which is now conveniently linked by a new bridge to the MRT station that shares the same name.
It is located just 160m from the MRT station and Sing Yung Kit, who lives near Batu Caves, said the new line would facilitate his family’s weekly shopping trips.
He looks forward to avoiding road traffic and skipping the hassle of searching for parking.
“The new MRT line is family-friendly, with functioning lifts and escalators that make it accessible to the elderly, those in wheelchairs and parents with baby strollers,” said the 34-year-old who took the train with his family to the shopping centre over the weekend.
Similarly for student Hee Kar Huan, 20, the MRT is her go-to transport mode as the Kajang MRT line connects to her school and the Maluri station.
“Now with the Putrajaya line, I am able to travel to places that are near my home in Sri Damansara,” she said.
Kepong Baru
If you fancy a plate of nasi lemak, rojak or other local specialities, head over to Big Tree Corner which is just a five-minute walk from the Kepong Baru station.
The family-run business is popular with locals who often pop in for a quick meal.
Tzu Chi Foundation Malaysia, across the street from the Kepong Baru station, has serene grounds.
“We have been operating here for over 13 years and have many regular customers,” said owner Dennis Reddy.
Across the road, upon exiting Gate C of the Kepong Baru station, commuters can also head towards the massive grey building housing the Tzu Chi Foundation.
The serene grounds are open daily to the public.
Within the compound is a community hall as well as the Jing Si Books & Cafe where visitors can browse through the reading materials while having light refreshments.
Sri Delima
Fish-head noodles are typically prepared with snapper, but there is an eatery that uses salmon.
Norway Salmon Fish Head Noodle is located directly behind Brem Mall in Kepong and is a four-minute walk (280m) from Gate B of the Sri Delima station.
Brem Mall in Kepong is a three-minute walk from the Sri Delima station, which is also close to the (right) Norway Salmon Fish Head Noodles Restaurant.
As the shop’s name implies, the fish used is imported from Norway and it specialises in a variety of noodle dishes.
Owner Adam Cheong, 60, recommends the eatery’s Original series.
Other soup flavours include bitter gourd and hot and sour, while customers can opt for toppings such as salmon fish head, fillets, fishcake and prawns.
