JOHOR BARU: Johor Ruler Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar has visited the site of the Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link at the Woodlands North terminal in Singapore during his three-day visit to the island republic.
During the visit, the Sultan also checked on the current progress of the much-anticipated project that would connect Singapore and Johor in the future.
According to a statement on the Sultan’s Facebook page, His Majesty’s visit on Thursday (July 21) was greeted by Singapore Transport Minister S. Iswaran and senior officials from SMRT Corporation Ltd, the project developer.
Also present were Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi and Johor state secretary Tan Sri Datuk Dr Azmi Rohani.
“When the RTS Link opens for service at the end of 2026, it will be a game changer that will significantly improve connectivity between Singapore and Johor Baru and ease congestion along the Causeway.
“Construction is proceeding at a good pace, with contractors on both sides confident that the project will be completed on time,” read the statement on the Sultan’s Facebook.
It added that the Malaysian portion of infrastructure works, including the train station, depot and 2.7km of land and marine viaducts, are being handled by MRT Corp, a subsidiary of Malaysia Rapid Transit System Sdn Bhd.
“Construction on the Singapore side began in March 2021. The train station will be one of the biggest in the island state when completed and will provide a seamless travel link to the Thomson-East Coast Line and Woodlands North MRT station.
“Rapid Transit System Operations Sdn Bhd (RTSO), a joint venture between Prasarana Malaysia Bhd and SMRT Corporation Ltd, will be the operator of this new metro link,” it added.
The RTS Link is a 4km light rail transit shuttle service between the Bukit Chagar Station in Johor Baru and Woodlands North Station in Singapore.
The trains will have the capacity to move 10,000 passengers per hour in each direction.
Passengers will enjoy a fast and seamless travel experience with a train journey time of only about five minutes between the two stations.
Full Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) facilities for Singapore and Malaysia will be located at the Woodlands North and Bukit Chagar stations, respectively.
Passengers would only need to clear the Immigration authorities once, which is at their point of departure.
It was earlier reported that the Sultan and Permaisuri Johor Raja Zarith Sofiah Binti Almarhum Sultan Idris Shah were on a three-day official visit to Singapore starting Wednesday (July 20).
The visit is at the invitation of Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.