Crossing the causeway isn’t exactly a pleasant experience with all the congestion and impatient people rushing to get where they need to be, but that will all soon change as the Singapore-Johor Baru MRT service is set to operate by 2024, The Straits Times reported.
The Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link, which is a cross-border rail linking Singapore and Johor Baru in Malaysia, will bridge Johor’s Bukit Chagar terminus station and the Singapore terminus connected to the upcoming Woodlands North station on the Thomson East-Coast Line. It is expected to ferry up to 10,000 passengers per hour in each direction along the 4km stretch, and will start operations on Dec 31, 2024.
During the 13th meeting of the Malaysia-Singapore Joint Ministerial Committee for Iskandar Malaysia (JMCIM) held in Iskandar Puteri, Johor Baru, it was announced that SMRT Corp and Malaysian metro operator Prasarana Malaysia were looking at forming a joint venture to be the operating company to help build, finance and operate the trains, tracks and systems for the RTS Link.
Each government will also appoint an infrastructure company to fund, build, maintain and upgrade the civil infrastructure and stations in their own countries. Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan (the same man who loathes negative media coverage of MRT breakdowns) has reiterated that fares will be driven by market forces and will not be regulated.
The RTS Link will also have a joint customs, immigration and quarantine facility at both terminus stations, meaning that travellers will only need to clear customs and immigration once when departing from the respective countries.
The KTM Shuttle Tebrau, a shuttle train service linking Woodlands and Johor Baru, will cease operations within six months of the RTS Link’s launch. Reportedly, the service has been increasing its frequency since June 1 to cope with high demand — it currently makes 26 trips a day, but that will increase to 36 over the next couple of years.
