The Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link is on track to start its passenger service by December 2026.

A significant construction milestone was reached at Dec. 31, 2023, the transport ministries of the two countries announced in a joint statement.

Currently, about two-thirds of civil infrastructure works on the Singapore side and 65 per cent of the project on the Malaysian side have been completed.

Progress update

A 17.1m-long concrete span connecting the Singapore and Malaysian ends of a rail viaduct that will run across the Strait of Johor has been completed, it was also announced.

Construction work for the rest of RTS Link’s rail viaduct, tunnels, stations and customs buildings, as well as other civil structures will then proceed on both sides, and will be handed over to RTS Operations when completed.

RTS Operations is a joint venture formed in 2020 between Singapore rail operator SMRT and Malaysian public transport firm Prasarana.

The rail systems will then be installed.

Prime ministers meet

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim met at the strait in a ceremony to commemorate the milestone on Jan. 11.

With PM @anwaribrahim in Johor this morning to commemorate the completion of the RTS Link connecting span! – LHL pic.twitter.com/iEm9Mmuzo5

— leehsienloong (@leehsienloong) January 11, 2024

The RTS Link ceremony is part of an official visit by PM Lee to Johor, his first overseas visit in 2024.

Details about RTS-Link

The cross-border rail link was delayed and previously suspended for six months at one point.

The original target date of completion was on Dec. 31, 2024.

Once completed, the 4km rail shuttle service will be able to take up to 10,000 people per hour in each direction between Bukit Chagar in Johor and Woodlands North.

At least 35 per cent of the human traffic at the Causeway will be absorbed by the RTS Link.

Passengers only need to clear immigration at their point of departure at either the Woodlands North or Bukit Chagar stations.

The trains will run from 6am to midnight at four-minute intervals during peak hours and 30-minute intervals during off-peak periods, as per Malaysia’s Mass Rapid Transit Corporation (MRT Corp).

Construction on Singapore side

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said construction works that started in 2021 are progressing well.

These works include constructing the customs, immigration and quarantine (CIQ) building in Woodlands North, the 730m-long rail viaduct and connecting tunnels.

The RTS Link station in Woodlands North with a maximum depth of 28m, as well as an underground Basement 3 linkway connecting the station to the CIQ building, has been completed too.

Top photos via Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong Twitter & Google Maps