The 2023 Merdeka Day celebration is upon us and with that, Rapid KL has extended the operating hours of several of its services just like last year, as well as adding on free shuttle buses to facilitate the celebrations. Multiple roads in KL and Putrajaya will be closed for the National Day events so for those who intend to participate, it is encouraged for you to use public transport.
30 August
On the night before Merdeka, there will be several LRT, MRT, and Monorail stations that will continue operating until 2 AM. Rapid KL has not published the train frequency yet for these hours, but it will update the frequency later on, which will be adjusted based on monitoring. Connecting stations will also continue to operate and for the other stations, while they will be closed according to regular hours, passengers can still exit them.
The train stations with extended operating hours are:
- KLCC (LRT)
- Ampang Park (LRT and MRT)
- Persiaran KLCC (MRT)
- Pasar Seni (LRT and MRT)
- Bukit Bintang (MRT and Monorail)
- Masjid Jamek (LRT)
Additionally, a total of 22 Rapid KL bus routes will operate until 2 AM on 30 August. Buses not on this list will terminate operations as per the usual hours.
31 August
On Merdeka itself, all LRT, MRT, and Monorail stations will start operating from 4 AM, along with 101 Rapid KL bus routes. There is also the 451 route between the Kajang MRT station and the Putrajaya Sentral MRT station, which will run on an hourly basis from 5.30 AM to 1.30 PM from Kajang and from 6.30 AM to 2.30 PM from Putrajaya.
Moreover, if you plan on going to Putrajaya to celebrate, there will be over 50 free shuttle buses provided from Putrajaya Sentral across four routes. MS01 and MS04 will run from 4 AM to 2 PM with a frequency of 5 minutes and 10 minutes respectively. Meanwhile, MS02 and MS03 will operate from 8 AM to 7 PM with a frequency of every 15 minutes.
For some added fun, Rapid KL will hold a contest for the shuttle bus commuters, who will get a chance to win up to 150 mystery prizes. You’ll have to spot the mystery staff member on the bus and shout “Merdeka” three times to get the prize.
