Batu Arang is a town in Gombak District, Selangor, Malaysia, that is located about 50 km (31 miles) from the capital Kuala Lumpur.

The local coal was frequently sold to the railway companies, power stations, tin mines, dredges, and end customers.

During World War II, in 1942, British authorities halted mining operations, and destroyed the power station and main sub-station as Japanese forces approached Batu Arang.

When Japan surrendered at the end of World War II, Malayan Collieries resumed mining but were faced with problems such as improper mining methods by Japanese, delayed delivery for new equipment, labor strikes, fire, floods, increasing costs, rising coal prices and competition from petroleum, which is a cheaper and more attractive fuel.

Coal was first discovered in Malaya in 1908 by Haji Abdul Hadi, a Malay man who was looking for tin near Rawang in Ulu Selangor.

There was strong demand in Federated Malay States Railway (FMSR)—especially the tin mining activity[clarification needed]—to open up the country to private enterprise.

As a result, Russell had to sell some of his past investments and become a major shareholder of Malayan Collieries Limited with help from his associates on June 20, 1914.

The village then established to serve the coal mining industry, was named "Batu Arang" from the Malay word meaning "stone charcoal".

In return, the mining company agreed to pay the construction costs of the sidings from Batu Arang station to the pit head.

Initially, only one train ran daily between Batu Arang and Kuala Lumpur but the frequency increased as output and demand for coal grew.

As of 1939, the mining company conveyed coal and other products to the FSMR system by operating 17 miles (27 km) of railway on its property.

In Japanese-occupied Malaya, the Japanese hired many men to repair the damaged equipment at Batu Arang and continue mining activity.

[5] On September 11, 1945, the British Military Administration took over properties belonging to Malayan Collieries with Indian troops to manage the mine.

[4] Batu Arang was a conflict zone during the Malayan Emergency period, and the Communist Party of Malaya occupied the town.

[8] [better source needed]The attack on the coal mine raised tensions during the initial period of the Malayan Emergency; there was a shortages of troops in the country to protect residents and to combat the communists.

[8] Since the closure of the coal mine, many miners and workers have moved out of Batu Arang and many of the town's buildings have been left to decay.

[10] Despite this, many local shops, restaurants, wet markets and other facilities continue to operate and the town now has a multicultural population made up mostly of people with Chinese, Malay and Indian backgrounds.

[11] An underground coal-seam fire occurred on September 18, 2011; one family discovered the land behind their house was getting hotter for two weeks before thick, black smoke started emitting from the ground.

[14] On October 16, 2011, during a carnival to celebrate the town's 100th anniversary, Selangor's head of government Khalid Ibrahim awarded heritage town status to Batu Arang to increase the economic prospects of its residents and to make it a tourist attraction,[15] Despite this recognition, it was later reported by Sin Chew Daily that due to lack of local humanity cultivation and support from mapping companies,[clarification needed] the development of Batu Arang as a tourism area had slowed; this was further exacerbated by Khalid Ibrahim's decision to move to Port Klang to contest the 2013 Malaysian general election.

[17] These claims were later supported by Gombak district officer Datuk Nor Hisham Ahmad Dahlan, who was told the illegal burial service costs RM 5,000 per session and would launch the investigation into this matter.

[18] The Christian cemetery was officially gazette by Gombak authorities on September 25, 2014, and any foreigners who wanted to bury their dead must first obtain permission from Batu Arang police department before doing so.

The land it stood on was later acquired by a private owner, who plan to demolish the century-old brick factory building, including the chimney.

It was later discovered the chimney and the brick factory were not gazette as a Batu Arang heritage site because the previous land owner had yet to sign an agreement with state government.

[23] Four years later, another waste-dumping issue was discovered when two contractors dumped waste collected from a sewerage processing plant in Puchong into their palm oil estate in Batu Arang and left it to dry and become fertilizer.

[31] Residents can also access the clinics and hospitals in Kundang and Sungai Buloh via the free bus service provided by Smart Selangor, which stops at these medical facilities since the introduction of these new stations[clarification needed] in June 2019.

[33] In addition, there is an orphanage in Batu Arang that houses children who are affected by HIV / AIDS and have suffered from social stigma; these children were denied access to education and were unable to open bank accounts, which led to them being unbanked and unable to obtain a Malaysian identity card, making them stateless and unemployed.

The routes are suitable for beginners, with little traffic, clean air, good relationship between cyclists and drivers, and a cuisine haven.

[40] Several international professional racing and UCI-sanctioned cycling events, including the Tour de Langkawi[41] and the Jelajah Malaysia, have been held in the town, where cyclists passed through it.