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Putrajaya, an “Intelligent Garden City” and the federal administrative capital of Malaysia, is a showcase city under construction some 30 km south of the capital Kuala Lumpur. Its adjacent sister city, Cyberjaya, is built along the same lines, but is aimed at attracting the IT industry. The area was formerly known as Prang Besar.

Putrajaya covers a vast sprawl of 4,931 hectares, which were mostly palm plantations before the federal government purchased the lot from the surrounding state of Selangor. The city’s masterplan is designed along an axial tangent which runs from the northeast to southeast, with gently undulating terrain. About 40% of Putrajaya is natural, but the landscape has been extensively reworked by man: lush greenery and botanical gardens are spread across the landscape, crisscrossed by large bodies of water and wetlands. Five confluences meet at the north forming a main waterway, the Putrajaya Lake, which flows across the city area.

History

The project was started in 1993 and the federal capital officially moved in 1999, although the site is still far from complete. Putrajaya became a self-governing federal territory (wilayah persekutuan) in 2001, the third in Malaysia after Kuala Lumpur and the little oddball island of Labuan.

The name literally means “princes’ (putra) success (jaya)”. Officially, the site is named in homage to Malaysia’s first prime minister, Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra.

Ever since the Asian economic crisis of 1998 development has slowed down markedly, and while there aren’t any of the rusting half-built concrete shells that still litter KL and Bangkok, the careful eye will spot more than a couple of once cleared and dug-up but now abandoned fields (often with a crane or two stuck in the mud too). Basically, the infrastructure is largely in place but the buildings and occupants aren’t, leading to the impression of a giant swath of hilly jungle crisscrossed by 8-lane highways with no other cars on them, and the occasional beautifully sculpted lake garden with no people in sight.

That said, the area remains under heavy construction and both people and companies are slowly moving in. As of 2006, the population has surpassed 50,000, although there’s still a long way to go to the targeted 300,000. Inevitably, development isn’t always occurring in expected ways: Cyberjaya has to date mostly succeeded in attracting call centers and data warehouses, not R&D laboratories. The new twin cities may look very different in 5-10 years’ time.

Get in

By plane

The nearest airport is Kuala Lumpur International Airport. A coupon or metered budget taxi to or from KLIA will take 30 minutes and cost around RM60. Alternatively, you can take the KLIA Transit from the airport to Putrajaya station and transfer to a taxi.

By train

For public transport the fastest choice is the KLIA Transit connecting Kuala Lumpur’s Sentral train station to its airport, which stops halfway in between at Putrajaya. Trains run every 30 minutes, take 20 minutes and the list price is RM 9.50 one-way, but the RM15 Putrajaya return ticket (valid for one month) is better value.

Note: KLIA Ekspres services do not stop at Putrajaya.

By taxi

Coupon taxis from Kuala Lumpur’s KL Sentral cost a fixed RM35, but otherwise you’ll have to try out your bargaining skills – figure on RM30-50, and expect to pay more at night.

By bus

Bus service is provided from 6:30am until 10pm to and from Cyberjaya, Putrajaya, Serdang commuter station and Sinar Kota in Kuala Lumpur. The bus fare for one-way is around RM 3.50 and takes about 30 minutes-one hour, depends on the traffic flow. Usually, on non-working days the time the buses take to arrive at Putrajaya will be much faster, but the frequency of the buses will be accordingly reduced.

The new Express network by Rapid KL links KL Sentral to Putrajaya with only RM 5 for an unlimited daily pass.

Shuttle buses to/from KL are provided by some hotels for guests, such as Shangri-la.

Get around

Public transportation within Putrajaya is woefully inadequate, as distances are long and you need wheels to get around. Occasional Nadiputra buses putter about from the train station at random times in random directions, but your best bet is probably to enquire at KLIA or KL Sentral about organized tours. There are also public two-hour tours at 11 AM and 2 PM, departing from the tour desk at Selera Putra, that charge only a token RM 1 for the bus.

By taxi

Coupon taxis from the Transit station charge RM8-10 to most points in Putrajaya. Other taxis are limited and it’s best to book by phone at +60-3-5512-2266. Other taxi hotlines include: Putrajaya Cyberjaya Radio Taxi at +60 03 8888 4000, which operates 24hours. The meter starts ticking from RM4, but many cabbies are reluctant to use theirs. Chartering starts from RM30/hour, negotiable downwards.

By monorail

Construction of the Putrajaya Monorail has been halted until the occupancy of the Core District becomes higher

Author’s Note

Adapted from: WikiTravel.org

Article license: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 1.0 Generic

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