Ampang and Sri Petaling lines

LRT track around Chan Sow Lin, the interchange station between two lines. The Exchange 106 is visible in the background under construction.

The Ampang Line and Sri Petaling Line were originally known as the STAR LRT (abbreviation for Sistem Transit Aliran Ringan, which translates to Light Rail Transit System), a single train line with two branches originating from Sentul Timur station and sprawling to Ampang and Sri Petaling stations via Chan Sow Lin station.

STAR LRT was first conceived in the 1981 Transport Master Plan, when the government proposed a network of LRT lines connecting the Kuala Lumpur city centre to the surrounding areas. An agreement was signed between the government and STAR in 1992.[3]

The original system (27.4 km) consists of 25 stations built in two phases. Phase one (12.4 km) consists of 14 stations (Ampang – Sultan Ismail) and a depot near Ampang station. Phase two (15 km) consists of 11 stations (Chan Sow Lin – Sri Petaling, and Sultan Ismail – Sentul Timur). The two phases opened in December 1996 and July 1998.[4][5]

The initial plan was for STAR to build, own and manage the STAR LRT. However, STAR ran into financial difficulties, and had to be bailed out by the government.[6] So, in 2002, Prasarana took over the line, and renamed the STAR LRT to the STAR Line. Operations of the line were subsequently transferred to Rapid KL in 2004 and the line was renamed the Ampang Line and Sri Petaling Line in 2005. The Ampang Line assumed the branch line between Sentul Timur and Ampang stations, whereas Sri Petaling Line assumed the branch line between Sentul Timur and Sri Petaling stations.

In 2006, the government announced the Sri Petaling Line extension project. The extension comprises 11 new stations over 17.7 kilometres of elevated track beyond the Sri Petaling station. This extended the terminus of the Sri Petaling Line from Sri Petaling to Putra Heights.[7] Unlike the original line, which uses the Fixed-block signaling system, the extension uses the Communications-based train control (CBTC) signaling system. As a result, when the first four stations and the next four stations opened on 31 October 2015 and 31 March 2016, the extension ran as a separate train service between Sri Petaling station and Bandar Puteri station.[8][9]

Re-signaling had to be done on the original line, before the extension could be combined with the rest of the line. Thales was awarded a contract on 3 September 2012 to upgrade the signaling system on the original line, and the installation of the new signaling was completed in July 2016.[10][11]

The Ampang and Sri Petaling Lines run on a common route between Sentul Timur station and Chan Sow Lin station, effectively making all the stations on this section act as interchanges between both lines. From Chan Sow Lin station, the lines diverge and run separately, with the Ampang Line travelling to its terminus, Ampang station, whereas the Sri Petaling Line runs to Putra Heights station, where it meets the Kelana Jaya Line.[12][13]

A former 1st generation stock of Adtranz-Walkers articulated LRV trainset

The rolling stock of the Ampang Line and Sri Petaling Line currently consists of a fleet of 50 new trains, better known as AMY, that are deployed to increase the capacity of the line and provide a better service. Each of the new trains is six cars long[14][15] and provided by CSR Zhuzhou of China, similar to on the design for İzmir Metro and Buenos Aires Underground 200 Series.[16] These trains are disabled-friendly and include safety features like closed-circuit TV, emergency breakable window, emergency ventilation fan, fire and smoke detection system and supervised automatic train operation system (SATO), and other elements such as interactive destination display inside the train, non-slipping seats, LCD infotainment, walk-through gangways, and a more spacious wheelchair space for the physically challenged.[17][18] The first trains were put into service on the Sri Petaling-Kinrara BK5 stretch in October 2015, and then until Putra Heights and Sentul Timur in July 2016, and finally the Ampang branch line in December 2016.[19]

The interior of an AMY train used for both lines

The former fleet consisted of 90 Adtranz standard-gauge light rail vehicle (LRV) manufactured by Walkers Limited of Australia. These trains were electric multiple units (EMU), which draw power from the underside of a third rail alongside the track. All cars in each train were powered. The trains were manned, with driver cabs occupying the ends of the train. The trainsets came in two configurations. The first and most common variation was the six-car trainset, which consisted of three sets of two EMUs (2+2+2) and occupied the maximum platform length of the stations. Each of the two EMU sets at the front and rear consisted of one driving car and one trailer car, while the two EMUs between were trailer cars. Each two EMU sets were not connected to other EMU sets in the train.

A 2nd generation stock 6-car trainset of CSR Zhuzhou articulated LRV at Awan Besar

The second variation was a four-car trainset, a more obscure configuration that consists of only two EMU sets (2+2) of one driving car and one trailer car at both ends. These were only two-thirds the length and number of cars of the six-car variation. The 2+2 trainsets were used in full service until the widespread deployment of 2+2+2 trainsets. Each car had 3 bogies: 2 power bogies and one articulated trailer for the centre bogie. The end cars, numbered 1101 to 1260, have driver cabs. Middle cars numbered 2201 to 2230 have a concealed driver control panel, enabling the car to be moved around the depot independently. The train interiors were simple and basic. There were no individual seats, only longitudinal bench seating on either side of the train, surfaced in metal, while spaces near the connecting ends of the cars were provided for passengers who use wheelchairs and other assistive devices, with a large amount of floorspace for standing passengers. The rolling stock, which has remained relatively unchanged since its introduction in 1996, were replaced in stages by the new trains between 2015 and 2016.

The Ampang and Sri Petaling Lines system network fleet consists of the following models:

• 50 6-car CSR Zhuzhou articulated LRV trainsets, nicknamed as AMY, operated since January 2015.
• 29 + 1 (out of service) 6-car Adtranz-Walkers LRV trainsets, which were operated from December 1996 until December 2016, have been phased out and replaced by CSR Zhuzhou articulated LRV trainsets.

6-car CSR Zhuzhou Amy articulated LRV at Masjid Jamek LRT station

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ampang Line.

• Land Public Transport Commission
• Prasarana Malaysia Berhad
• RapidKL
• Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit (KVMRT) Project
• KL Mass Rapid Transit (KLMRT) Line Integrations