Sashidaran Gunathevan
Kuala Lumpur will get a 22km covered walkway under Budget 2027, which the Prime Minister Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim tabled recently. Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL) will build it.
The route will link Masjid Negara, Dataran Merdeka and Pasar Seni. The same budget names the KL Railway Station as a heritage restoration target.
Here is what was announced, what remains unclear and what it may mean for visitors.
What the walkway will link
Prime Minister said in his Budget 2027 speech that DBKL will build the route. It will link landmarks such as Masjid Negara, Dataran Merdeka and Pasar Seni.
Other covered walkways will join homes to shops, schools, clinics and public transport stations. Therefore, the plan aims at daily commuters as well as tourists.
Buggies will also carry visitors to Tugu Negara, Taman Botani and Carcosa Seri Negara. The speech said this is for comfort, particularly for senior citizens.
However, the speech gave no cost, route map or completion date for the walkway. DBKL has not said when work will start. Anwar said the capital’s soul lies in its stalls and warung, and in a heritage with a pulse.
Separately, DBKL will receive RM400 million. It will create 120 acres of green space, restore parks and upgrade public amenities and housing.
Walkway work is under way elsewhere in the Klang Valley too. A temporary ECRL Gombak walkway is due in December.
Railway landmarks get their turn
Budget 2027 named Menara Dayabumi, the KL Railway Station and the KTMB headquarters as the next restoration projects.
They follow Warisan KL, the heritage drive led by Khazanah around the Sultan Abdul Samad Building. Anwar said it drew half a million visitors from home and abroad.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said Khazanah Nasional and the Railway Assets Corporation will restore the station and headquarters. He said the approach will mirror the Samad project.
Loke also rejected talk of a sale. “There has never been any plan to privatise or sell the KTMB building,” he said. The building remains government-owned.
Work at the station has already begun. Its architect said façade conservation, lighting and a passenger hall upgrade ran from November 2024 to March 2026.
Still, officials have not given an amount or start date for the new phase. Reports also did not say whether interior works have started.
What it means for visitors
The budget links heritage to tourism directly. Arrivals reached 28.8 million in the first eight months, up only 1.8% year on year. Tourism funding rises to RM935 million in 2027, from RM705 million this year, one report said.
The government will also waive entertainment duty for arts, culture and sports events at Stadium Merdeka and Stadium Negara. PNB restored the first and will restore the second.
Stadium Merdeka already draws big crowds. The Hip Hop Tamizha concert filled it in January.
Meanwhile, the government will gazette a 100-acre leasehold site in Bukit Kiara as a federal park. Other heritage funding appears in our report on three sites with Unesco potential.
Rail users received news as well. The MyKomuter50 pass can save KTM Komuter riders up to RM160 a month.
The route is the piece to watch. We will update this story when DBKL releases the route and timeline
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Imran Hilmy
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