Johor Bahru–Singapore Rapid Transit System

,
,
,
,
,

The Johor Bahru–Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link is an international cross-border rapid transit system that will connect Malaysia's second largest city, Johor Bahru and Woodlands, Singapore, crossing the Strait of Johor. The link has two stations, with the Malaysian terminus at Bukit Chagar station and the Singaporean terminus at Woodlands North station, which also interchanges with Singapore's Thomson–East Coast MRT line. The RTS Link will be the first light rail system in Malaysia outside Klang Valley.

Both stations will have their own customs, immigration and quarantine (CIQ) facilities of both countries, which will co-locate both countries’ immigration together, ensuring a seamless pre-boarding clearance. Both CIQs at Bukit Chagar and Woodlands North will be independent from the existing facilities at the Sultan Iskandar Building and Woodlands Checkpoint. When completed, the RTS Link will replace the existing KTM Intercity's Shuttle Tebrau between JB Sentral and Woodlands Train Checkpoint.

A joint operating company between Singapore's SMRT Corporation and Malaysia's Prasarana will be the operator of the link. Construction started on the Malaysian section on 22 November 2020 and on the Singaporean section on 22 January 2021.

Background

Planning and development

A proposed extension of the Singapore Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system to Johor Bahru was first discussed between Singapore's prime minister Lee Kuan Yew and Malaysia's counterpart Mahathir Mohamad in 1990. On 15 July that year, the Johor Mentri Besar Muhyiddin Yassin said he "welcomed" the project, but the Malaysian federal government would have to study and evaluate the proposal. The cross-border project was aimed to address traffic congestion on the Johor–Singapore Causeway while boosting tourism in Johor. However, taxi operators in Johor expressed concerns of the project's impact on their earnings. Although the Johor government intended to commission a study on the MRT project's social and economic impact, the project implementation was delayed due to a lack of funds.

In December 1990, Yassin suggested to deputy prime minister Goh Chok Tong that the Singapore MRT could be extended to Johor Bahru as part of the Woodlands extension, saying that such an extension could capitalise on the potential ridership in Johor. Yassin also proposed that a light rail line could be built instead, which would connect with the MRT line in Woodlands. Following the announcement of the Woodlands extension in February 1991, Singapore's communications minister Mah Bow Tan said the cross-border link was "very much on the cards", with provisions at Woodlands station reserved for the extension. Nevertheless, further feasibility studies would need to be carried out with the Malaysian government.

The rapid transit system was then revisited two decades later and proposed during the Singapore-Malaysia Leaders' Retreat on 24 May 2010. The RTS would link Tanjung Puteri in Johor Bahru and Woodlands in Singapore, aiming to ease traffic congestion on the Johor–Singapore Causeway and enhance connectivity between the two countries. It was targeted to be operational by 2018.

Concrete steps

In June 2011, Singapore proposed to Malaysia that the proposed cross border rail link be connected to the northernmost station of the Thomson-East Coast Line, Woodlands North. A tender was called in November 2011 to conduct design and engineering study on the RTS link, which aimed to determine the technical parameters and options for the alignment and proposals for the system. A consortium of Aecom Perunding, Aecom Singapore and SA Architects subsequently won the tender. The first part of a preliminary engineering study was completed in March 2014.

On 15 September 2015, the Johor Public Works, Rural and Regional Development Committee selected Bukit Chagar as its terminus after a public vote, over Tanjung Puteri, JB Sentral 1 and JB Sentral 2. It also confirmed that the terminus would have operate its own customs and immigration clearance facilities, separate from the existing facilities at Sultan Iskandar Building. Its chairman Hasni Mohammad stated that Singapore had given no indication of the final alignment of the link from a total of three options. This drew a response from Singapore's Ministry of Transport which replied that they were unable to finalise the alignment of the crossing as there was no confirmation of the location of Malaysia's terminus.

On 13 December 2016, the countries' prime ministers confirmed a high-bridge crossing for the RTS to cross the Strait of Johor. The link would be operated by a corporate entity and fares market-based and set by the operator. The following year, in July 2017, it was stated that the line would begin operations on 31 December 2024 and that a jointly run-operating company would run and maintain the RTS operating systems, including its trains, tracks and signalling system. Each government would also appoint an infrastructure company to fund, build, own, maintain and upgrade the civil infrastructure and stations in their own countries. Daily shuttle train service from Woodlands Train Checkpoint to Johor Bahru would also cease operating after the RTS Link opens.

In August 2017, the Sultan of Johor Ibrahim Ismail expressed serious reservations on the proposed design of the rail track, citing that the overall curve-shaped design and height would disrupt the city skyline along the Johor Straits. He also questioned the need for both countries to engage separate contractors to build portions of the link in their respective countries and the involvement of Prasarana Malaysia in the joint operating company with SMRT Corporation instead of the Johor state government. As such, he wanted the overall plan to be reviewed to ensure that it would be "logical, economical and sustainable".

A memorandum of understanding between SMRT Corporation and Prasarana Malaysia was signed in September 2017 to form a joint venture company to operate the link. Details such as control of the operating company were yet to be worked out. On 16 January 2018, Singapore and Malaysia signed a bilateral agreement on the project finalizing certain aspects of the project, including its maintenance facilities, operator, and customs facilities.

Delay and suspension by Malaysia

Following the 2018 Malaysian general election which resulted in a change of government, Malaysia's transport minister Loke Siew Fook mentioned in May 2018 that it sought to reduce the cost of the project amidst efforts to reduce the Malaysian national debt. However, in mid-July 2018, Singapore's transport minister Khaw Boon Wan said in Parliament that it had not received any official communication from the new Malaysian government despite Loke's comments. A joint operating company between Singapore's SMRT Corporation and Malaysia's Prasarana Malaysia that was supposed to be incorporated by 30 June 2018 failed to materialize as discussions were suspended.

In July 2018, Malaysia's Loke expressed hope for the project's continuation and that the Malaysian cabinet had given in-principle approval to the project but was still looking into the cost and other details. He also mentioned that the issue of compensation did not apply as the joint operating company was not set up yet. A working paper on the project was to be presented to the cabinet the joint operating company set up upon its approval. Despite the delay, he said that the project would still be completed on time by 2024.

On 14 January 2019, Singapore's Khaw confirmed that the project was not progressing well, with Malaysia missing deadlines that were set in the bilateral meeting in 2018. Deadlines were extended as soon as they were negotiable – the first until September 2018, then December 2018, then February 2019. On 8 April 2019, the two transport ministers stated that both sides were working towards a "supplemental agreement" to temporarily suspend the project for 6 months, allowing Malaysia to review "key parameters" of the project. The suspension would be approached in the same way as was done for the suspension of the Kuala Lumpur–Singapore high speed rail. On 21 May, the project was suspended for six months until 30 September, with Malaysia compensating Singapore more than $600,000 of abortive costs incurred. On 28 September, Malaysia further extended the suspension to 31 October, which Singapore acceded to without claiming compensation, but reserving its right to do so after the date.

On 11 October 2019, Malaysia announced in its budget that it would proceed with the project with Singapore, although with significant financial cuts. On 31 October, Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad announced a 36 percent cost cut from the original RM4.93 billion to RM3.16 billion. Some of the proposals included involving the developers/owners of the Bukit Chagar land to waive land costs and using a light rail system similar to the Ampang LRT line instead of the heavy rail Thomson–East Coast MRT line system to reduce costs. In the aftermath of the 2020 Malaysian political crisis, a second change of government resulted in Muhyiddin Yassin becoming prime minister in March 2020. On 2 May, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was agreed to suspend the project further until 31 July 2020. Discussions with the new government continued ahead of a final deadline on 31 July.

Resumption

On 21 July 2020, Malaysia's transport minister Wee Ka Siong stated that construction was due to begin in January 2021 with targeted completion in 2026. The planned depot in Mandai would also be relocated to Johor Bahru, with construction cost borne by Malaysia. On 30 July 2020, Singapore prime minister Lee Hsien Loong and Malaysia prime minister Muhyiddin Yassin attended the ceremony at the midway point of the Causeway that marked the resumption of the RTS project.

Construction

Construction on the project began on the Malaysian side on 22 November 2020, with construction beginning on the Singapore side on 22 January 2021. , the RTS is planned to begin operations by the end of 2026. In March 2023, it was announced that Singapore's side of the project was 45% completed. In May 2023, progress on Singapore's side had reached 50%, with Malaysia's side 36% complete. On 11 January 2024, it was reported that progress has reached over 65% on both sides. On 11 June, it was reported that the project was 77.61% completed. In end-May 2024, the RTS system is said to be almost 80% complete.

Bukit Chagar station

Construction of the Bukit Chagar station started on 22 November 2020 in an online groundbreaking ceremony owing to the current COVID-19 pandemic. In the ceremony, it was announced that the four-storey station will be co-located within a transit-oriented development with a transport hub and property developments around the station. The station will be owned and developed by MRT Corp. In January 2024, it was reported that 40% of the station works, including piling works, were completed, with 65% completion overall for Malaysia's side. Upon completion, it will be Malaysia's first LRT station ever constructed outside the Klang Valley.

On 19 February 2021, the design of the station was unveiled after a design competition. The station will be co-located within a four-storey Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) facility, with the exterior having an intertwined roof symbolising shared ties between the people of Malaysia and Singapore as well as the long history. In addition, the station will have natural lighting to save energy, as well as self cleaning windows to reduce costs. The design shall be built with light-weight composite materials.

Woodlands North station

On 26 November 2020, the construction contract of Woodlands North RTS station in Singapore was awarded to Penta-Ocean Construction Co Ltd valued at S$932.8 million (US$675.94 million) by the Land Transport Authority (LTA). The contract also includes the construction of the tunnels and the Customs, Immigration, and Quarantine (CIQ) building. Its construction began on 22 January 2021 in a groundbreaking ceremony attended by Singapore's transport minister Ong Ye Kung. The second contract to construct tunnels and viaducts was awarded on 29 January 2021 by LTA to China Communications Construction Company Limited (Singapore branch) at a value of S$180 million (US$135.24 million).

Marine viaduct

On 13 October 2018, it was reported that Singapore's Land Transport Authority has called for tender for the construction of a 1.1 km tunnel and overhead bridge to Johor in end-September 2018. Construction was initially scheduled to begin in the middle of 2019.

A contract to build the marine viaduct was awarded in January 2021, with construction beginning soon after. In January 2024, prime ministers Lee Hsien Loong and Anwar Ibrahim met in the Johor Strait to mark the completion of the concrete span connecting the Singapore and Malaysian ends of a rail viaduct spanning across the strait. The twelve pile caps that would support Singapore's side of the viaduct were completed.

Infrastructure and operations

Route and services

The RTS will run in a general north–south direction connecting Bukit Chagar station on the Malaysian side and Woodlands North station on the Singaporean side. The line will begin at Bukit Chagar station in JB Sentral and run along Jalan Tun Abdul Razak, before turning east over the Causeway and run along Jalan Ismail Sultan. After the junction with Jalan Lingkaran Dalam, the line turns south towards Singapore and crosses the Johor Strait on an elevated viaduct, before the line terminates next to Woodlands North MRT station on the Singapore side.

Passenger operation is expected to commence by end-2026, and is projected to reduce traffic on the Causeway by at least 35%, with an estimated 10,000 passengers per hour in each direction. Malaysia's MRT Corp aims to meet the goal of five minutes to clear immigration, five minutes of waiting and travel time between the two stations, and five minutes to exit the other station.

Operator

The line will be operated by RTS Operations, a joint venture between Malaysian public transport company Prasarana Malaysia and Singaporean rail operator SMRT Corporation.

Fares

In July 2020, Malaysian transport minister Wee Ka Siong noted that the fare for the line would be affordable – with conversion rates ensuring that ticket prices are the same in Malaysian ringgit and Singapore dollar. In January 2024, Malaysian transport minister Anthony Loke affirmed that fares would be "competitive" – with the exact amount set by the operator of the line, RTS Operations closer to opening.

Rolling stock and signalling

Initially, it was announced in December 2016 that the line would adopt the heavy rail Thomson–East Coast MRT line's system, which includes sharing the trains, signalling system, communication system and Integrated Supervisory Control System. This was to reap economies of scale. However, in an effort to cut costs on the project, it was decided to adopt a light rail vehicle (LRV) similar to the Shah Alam Line for this project. The trains will run in a four-car formation with a passenger capacity of 1,069. Train speeds can reach up to . The LRV trains would be maintained in a new depot at Wadi Hana. The contract for the rolling stock was awarded to CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive Co in 2021. It was not specified when this contract was awarded. Signalling for the line was awarded to Siemens Mobility. The line will be equipped for Automated Train Operation at GoA4.

Immigration facilities

Each terminus will have co-located immigration facilities – commuters will clear both Singapore and Malaysia authorities at the departure point and not at the arrival point. This arrangement allows convenient passenger travel when crossing the border. This is similar to other railway lines that cross borders – such as at the Hong Kong West Kowloon railway station in Hong Kong, or St Pancras International railway station in the United Kingdom.

Stations

Legend

List

See also

* Thomson–East Coast MRT line
* Iskandar Malaysia BRT
* Øresundsmetro – a similar cross-border metro line proposed between Denmark and Sweden
* Øresundståg

References

External links

LTA official website
(Singapore)

MRT Corp official website
(Malaysia)

RTS Link PIC Virtual Tour

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System
Proposed rail infrastructure in Malaysia
Cross-border rapid transit
Transport in Johor Bahru
Transport in Singapore
2027 in rail transport