SSomewhere beneath Kuala Lumpur's newest financial district, two metro lines cross at Tun Razak Exchange MRT Station — Malaysia's largest underground interchange and the front door to a neighborhood that nearly didn't exist. The station sits at the heart of the TRX district, a glossy precinct of towers and parkland in Malaysia's capital that had to survive a billion-dollar scandal before a single commuter tapped through its gates. For visitors, it's both a practical transit hub and a strange, compelling piece of the city's recent story.
TRX station works best understood as a threshold. Step off either the Kajang Line or the Putrajaya Line at concourse level, and an air-conditioned underground corridor delivers you straight into The Exchange TRX, the shopping and dining complex that anchors the district. You never need to surface into the heat if you don't want to.
But you should surface. Above ground, TRX City Park spreads across rooftop gardens and water features, and the towers of Malaysia's answer to Canary Wharf rise around you. The station itself — themed "Islamic Corporate" by MRT Corp, which is exactly as interesting and awkward as it sounds — uses geometric motifs drawn from Islamic art to soften what is otherwise a very corporate underground space.
None of this existed before 2012. The speed of transformation is part of the point.
01 What to See
The Stacked-Platform Interchange
The Underground Link to The Exchange TRX
Islamic Geometry in a Corporate Shell
02 Explore Tun Razak Exchange Mrt Station in pictures.
Plan and listen to Tun Razak Exchange Mrt Station with Audiala
Audio guide in your pocket, itinerary in your browser. Built for the way you actually visit.
03 Visitor logistics.
The practical scaffolding for a good visit — kept short.
Getting There
The station sits on both the MRT Kajang Line and MRT Putrajaya Line — two of KL's busiest rail corridors. From KL Sentral, take the Kajang Line directly; the ride is about 15 minutes. An underground walkway connects the station concourse straight into The Exchange TRX mall, so you never need to surface into the heat if you'd rather not.
Opening Hours
As of 2026, the station opens at 6:00am daily and runs until roughly midnight, matching Rapid KL's standard MRT operating hours. The connected Exchange TRX mall keeps its own retail hours (typically 10am–10pm), so arriving by train before 10am means you'll have the underground link to yourself but the shops won't be open yet.
Time Needed
If you're just transferring between the Kajang and Putrajaya lines, allow 5–8 minutes — the stacked-platform design keeps the walk shorter than most KL interchanges. To wander the station's Islamic geometric detailing, the underground mall link, and the TRX City Park above ground, budget 30–45 minutes. Pair it with a half-day at The Exchange TRX if shopping or eating is the real agenda.
Accessibility
The station has lifts connecting street level to both platform levels, and barrier-free gates at every entry point — standard for KL's MRT network. The underground link to The Exchange TRX is flat and step-free the entire way, making it one of the more wheelchair-friendly routes into a KL mall. Platform screen doors on both lines eliminate the gap hazard common at older stations.
05 Tips for visitors.
Small things that change the day.
Transfer Smart
The Kajang and Putrajaya platforms are stacked rather than spread across a sprawling concourse. Follow signage to the escalators between levels — the whole interchange takes under three minutes if you know which direction you're headed.
Skip the Surface
KL's midday humidity is brutal. The underground pedestrian link from the station concourse delivers you into The Exchange TRX in full air-conditioning. No reason to step outside unless you want TRX City Park, which is best after 4pm when the sun drops behind the towers.
Eat at The Exchange
The Exchange TRX has a proper food hall with everything from RM12 nasi lemak to high-end Japanese. For something specific, the basement-level food court skews local and affordable — far better value than the upper-floor restaurants facing the park.
Read the Walls
MRT Corp gave this station an "Islamic Corporate" design theme, which sounds like a committee named it — but the geometric patterning on the columns and walls is genuinely well-executed. Pause at concourse level where the motifs are densest. Most commuters walk right past them.
Combine with KLCC
The Petronas Towers at KLCC are just two stops north on the Kajang Line. Do TRX and KLCC in the same half-day — the train takes four minutes, and you avoid the traffic that makes that short distance feel like a cross-city expedition by car.
Watch Your Belongings
The station gets crowded during weekday rush hours (7:30–9:30am and 5:30–7:30pm). Keep bags in front of you on the platforms — the usual big-city common sense applies, nothing worse than that.
04 Historical Context
From Scandal to Skyline
The TRX district's origin story reads like a political thriller with a transit station as its epilogue. On 30 July 2012, Prime Minister Najib Razak launched the Tun Razak Exchange as Malaysia's planned international financial hub — a bet that Kuala Lumpur could rival Singapore and Hong Kong for global capital. The project drew funding through 1Malaysia Development Berhad, a sovereign wealth fund that would soon become the subject of one of the largest financial frauds ever prosecuted across six countries.
By the time investigators were tracing billions in missing funds, construction was already well underway. The station and the district around it became hostages of a political crisis that had nothing to do with urban planning.
A Ceremony Underground
MRT Corp chose Tun Razak Exchange as the site to officially launch the completed Kajang Line on 17 July 2017. That's an unusual honor — most line openings happen at a terminus or a politically convenient stop. TRX got the ceremony because it was the flagship, the station meant to prove that KL's metro ambitions matched its financial ones. The full Putrajaya Line followed on 16 March 2023, turning TRX into one of just a handful of true interchange stations in the network.
The Samsung Interlude
On 29 February 2024, Samsung bought naming rights and rechristened the station "TRX Samsung Galaxy Station" — the first corporate naming deal for a Malaysian metro stop. The branding covered signage, platform screens, and concourse walls in Samsung's signature blue. By early 2026, official MRT maps had quietly reverted to the original name. Whether the deal wasn't renewed or simply expired, the episode says something about how quickly a transit station can become a billboard and how quickly it can stop being one.
Listen to the full story in the app
06 Frequently asked.
Is Tun Razak Exchange MRT station worth visiting?
As a destination, not really — but as a transit hub it's one of the most useful stops in Kuala Lumpur. It's a genuine two-line interchange with a direct underground walk into The Exchange TRX mall, and it carries a footnote most commuter stops don't: the full Kajang Line was ceremonially launched here on 17 July 2017.
How do I get to The Exchange TRX mall from Tun Razak Exchange MRT station?
Walk through the concourse level — the underground pedestrian link into The Exchange TRX is direct, air-conditioned, and takes under two minutes. No street crossing required. When it's 34°C outside, that matters.
What MRT lines stop at Tun Razak Exchange station?
Both the Kajang Line and the Putrajaya Line stop here. The Putrajaya Line connection opened on 16 March 2023, turning this into one of the few true two-line interchange points in KL's MRT network.
What time does Tun Razak Exchange MRT station open?
The station opens at 6:00am daily, following the standard Rapid KL MRT schedule. Last trains typically run past midnight — check the Rapid KL app for exact final departure times on each line.
Why was Tun Razak Exchange MRT station temporarily renamed Samsung Galaxy Station?
Samsung purchased naming rights from 29 February 2024, rebranding it 'TRX Samsung Galaxy Station' for roughly one year. Official MRT pages now list the station under its original name again.
What is the design theme of Tun Razak Exchange MRT station?
MRT Corp describes it as 'Islamic Corporate' — a contemporary business-district station where Islamic geometric motifs appear on columns, walls, and finishes rather than in ornamental decoration. It's also the largest underground station on the Kajang Line.
Is Tun Razak Exchange MRT station wheelchair accessible?
Yes. Lifts connect all platform levels to the concourse and street exits, and the underground link into The Exchange TRX mall continues that accessibility through to the shopping centre.
What is the connection between TRX station and the 1MDB scandal?
The wider Tun Razak Exchange district was launched in 2012 under a government program closely tied to 1MDB, and over RM3 billion linked to the project was later found to have been misappropriated. Malaysia's government after 2018 decided to finish it regardless — walking away from a half-built financial district in central Kuala Lumpur was not a real option.
Researched and written by the Audiala editorial team from historical records, architectural archives, and local expertise.
Official station page: architectural theme ('Islamic Corporate'), station size, Kajang Line context
Station layout, interchange details, underground mall link, operating hours
Confirmed underground pedestrian connection from MRT concourse to mall
Full Kajang Line launched 17 July 2017, ceremony held at TRX station
News coverage of Kajang Line full opening ceremony at TRX
Putrajaya Line Phase 2 opened 16 March 2023, making TRX a two-line interchange
News report confirming Putrajaya Line Phase 2 opening date
The Exchange TRX and TRX City Park opened 29 November 2023
Developer confirmation of mall opening date and district context
Samsung naming rights announcement, effective 29 February 2024
TRX district officially launched 30 July 2012
Post-election decision to continue TRX despite 1MDB misappropriation findings
Finance minister confirmation of continued TRX development cost and rationale
General station history including Pasar Rakyat site background
Last reviewed
