Though our weekend trips to Johor Bahru (JB) might not be possible now due to the Covid-19 pandemic, works are already ongoing to make our future excursions across the Causeway smoother.
On Friday (22 Jan), works on our end of the Singapore-Johor Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link officially began, with a groundbreaking ceremony at the site of the Woodlands North RTS station.
Though just 4km in length, the trans-border shuttle service will likely bring significant social and economic benefits to people on both ends of the Causeway.
With a capacity of 10,000 passengers per hour in each direction, the RTS is expected to ease traffic jams along the Causeway upon its completion in end-2026.
The RTS Link can potentially shift thousands of motorcycles and cars off the Causeway.
Though it’ll be at least 5 years before we get to travel on the RTS, we can already imagine how convenient it’ll be for us to shop for groceries and makan in JB when it’s fully operational.
Additionally, commuters on the RTS will only be required to undergo customs checks just once, at either Woodlands North or Bukit Chagar station — located in JB.
Travellers beginning their journey from Singapore would board the train at the Woodlands North RTS station.
The RTS station will be connected to similarly-named Woodlands North MRT station – on the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) – via an underground concourse. The RTS station, combined with the customs building will be 10 times the size of a conventional MRT station.
Woodlands North MRT station has begun operations since Jan 2020.
As more stations on the TEL open for operation in the years to come, this will hopefully allow more Singaporeans from across the island to access the RTS.
Though we can’t immediately reap the benefits of the RTS link, we can already imagine how convenient it’ll be for travellers crossing the Causeway come 2026.
Hopefully, traffic jams on the Causeway will be a thing of the past then, allowing both Malaysians and Singaporeans to cross the border seamlessly.
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Featured image courtesy of LTA.
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