The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has awarded Japanese construction firm Penta-Ocean Construction Co Ltd a contract valued at S$932.8 million to build the RTS Link's Woodlands North station, tunnels and the Customs, Immigration, and Quarantine (CIQ) building in Singapore.

"Penta-Ocean Construction Co Ltd has wide-ranging experience in infrastructure and building projects in Singapore," said LTA in a press release on Nov. 26.

The firm is currently constructing the Bright Hill and Orchard stations on the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL). It previously worked on the TEL Woodlands North station as well as the Downtown Line’s Bendemeer station.

Construction for the RTS Link is expected to commence in the first quarter of 2021 while passenger service is expected to commence in end 2026.

What is the RTS Link?

The RTS Link is a rail shuttle service between Singapore and Johor Bahru.

The Singapore side will feature a terminus at the Woodlands North station. The Malaysia terminus will be located at Bukit Changar station in Johor Bahru.

It has a peak capacity of 10,000 passengers per hour in each direction.

The stations in both cities will have Customs, Immigration, and Quarantine (CIQ) facilities. Passengers will only be required to clear both Singapore and Malaysia immigration authorities once at the point of departure.

At the Singapore terminus, passengers will be able to connect seamlessly to the TEL line. The RTS Link is expected to ease congestion on the Causeway.

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Top images via LTA.