Burst of life for 113-year-old Sentul Depot

THE 113-YEAR-OLD Sentul Depot, which fell into silence when rail operator KTM (Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd) closed it down in the early 2000s, came back to life for a brief moment during the recent Riuh X Grab Malaysia Day Weekend.
Located in Sentul West and on the way to the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (klpac), Sentul Depot was established in 1905 and once served as a train service centre for the Federated Malay States Railways.
It is now owned by YTL Land & Development, which aims to turn the train yard into an art platform.
Built with English ingenuity and traditional brick design, Sentul Depot's 200,00sq ft housed what was then known as the railway village, and was home to thousands of rail workers.
The 'village' had everything that was needed to maintain and repair the many steam-powered trains in service at that time, from copper smelting and smithing to generator service areas. There were even lodgings and areas for apprentices to learn the craft.
The depot was bombed by the British near the end of WWII to prevent the use of the train yard by the invading Japanese army.
The most notable architectural designs at the Sentul Depot include the sawtooth roof design that features north-facing sunroofs that kept the natural light in and the heat out, structures built using old train tracks as the frame, and a caged structure used to hold valuable copper train components.
While some works have been done to beautify and ensure the safety of the location while preserving its structure, only two areas – the main train warehouse and a smaller secondary warehouse – were opened to the public during the Riuh X Grab Malaysia Day Weekend.
Although YTL Land provided the space, it was Riuh which transformed the two warehouses for the event.
Nevertheless, it is still uncertain if this monthly creative platform will make the train yard its new home.