I rode the KLIA Express from KL Sentral to the KLIA Airport many years back in 2019. I remembered that was my nice stay at the Hilton Kuala Lumpur in KL Sentral. Recently I took the KLIA Express (or KLIA ekspres) the other way round. That is KLIA Express from Airport to KL Sentral.
It was just as nice as ever. For a single person, I believe it is the best way to get to KL town instead of a Grab.
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How to get to KLIA Express station in KLIA Airport
When you clear the customs in KLIA airport, you will look for the lift to take DOWN to the KLIA Express station. It will look like this.
When you reached the station, you will see a few automated machines selling tickets. You can easily buy the KLIA Express from Airport to KL Sentral ticket there with your credit card. I used Apple Pay too in my iPhone successfully. So no need to bring out the credit card from your wallet even.
Now this is quite a steep cost of RM55 for a 28 min KLIA ekspres ride from KLIA to KL Sentral. If you want to save some money (and you are NOT pressed for time), there are hacks on the internet about using the KLIA Transit instead to save money. Read about it at the end of this article on alternative cheaper methods to get to town.
After scanning the ticket at the gate, you will see this.
Of course, you know you must take the RED KLIA Express at Platform A. Cause it goes directly to KL Sentral and not stop at the rest of the stations.
You are on the right train when you see this.
KLIA Express from Airport to KL Sentral Train
Just like the new ETS from KL to JB, the train serving the KLIA Express from Airport to KL Sentral is clean and comfortable and modern. Malaysia Boleh !
The seats are comfortable too. Lots of leg room if there are no one sharing with you 🙂
My long legs…
And sit back and enjoy the views along the way from from KLIA Airport to KL Sentral Train Station.
Arriving at KL Sentral
You will arrive at KL Sentral at the KLIA Express station. It is located at the main station itself. A walk in the KL Sentral station will take you to the KTM station, KL Rapid and the RED KL MRT lines and from there you can go everywhere in KL and even the rest of Malaysia !
You will still need your ticket to EXIT the station so please keep your ticket.
Welcome to Kuala Lumpur ! Selamat Datang Kuala Lumpur !
Selamat Datang Kuala Lumpur means “Welcome to Kuala Lumpur” in Malay, a warm greeting to Malaysia’s vibrant, multicultural capital known for its iconic Petronas Towers, delicious street food (like at Petaling Street), bustling markets, and mix of modern and traditional sights, making it a diverse and exciting city for travelers.
Alternative Cheaper Methods of getting from KLIA to Downtown via KL Transit
There are two ways to save money to get to down town KL without spending the RM55 above. Remember there are two trains to take at KLIA. One is the above way of KLIA Express (which is end to end from KLIA to KL Sentral). The other is the KLIA Transit which has couple of stations (Sala Tinggi, Putrajaya etc) along the way from KLIA to KL Sentral. It is these stations that allow us to do these alternative routes.
Check out the difference in KLIA Express vs KLIA Transit:
Method 1 : If you are still going to KL Sentral
You can first buy a ticket (and take the KLIA Transit) to Putraraya or Salak Tinge and then EXIT the station. Then come back to the station again and buy a new ticket from Putraraya or Salak Tinge to KL Sental. You will save more than 50% 🙂
So from the diagram below, instead of RM55 (RED CIRCLE), you do a PURPLE 1 and then a PURPLE 2.
Method 2 : If you are going to TRX or KLCC or Titiwangsa
Actually this is a much better option not just to save money. It is also the convenience of going to places such as TRX or KLCC or Titiwangsa. I love Titiwangsa as I love the Marriott AC hotel there.
In this case it is like normal things we do in a foreign city when we arrive at the airport. We take the Airport Express (like in Hong Kong Airport Express to Kowloon or the Japan Narita Airport to Shingawa or the Keisei Express etc) and then change to a local train to get to the hotels accordingly.
This is the same case here. We take the KLIA Transit to Putrajaya KLIA station and then walk a few minutes to Putrajaya Sentral MRT station (Yellow Line) to open up a route to many places in town !
E.g in this diagram we can get to TRX or KLCC or Titwangasa or even Ampang Park to get to DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur.
So in this case it is also much cheaper and probably even more convenient to get to town fro the KLIA Airport.
You can download the KL MRT map here. Or here’s an image too.
Conclusion
I started the article by suggesting you take the KLIA Express train from KLIA airport to KL Sentral. That’s the fastest and easiest way to get to KL Sentral and from there to many places in KL.
I also added a section on the cheaper alternative way to get to KL Sentral by KLIA Transit (a slightly longer line than KLIA Express).
