Johor checkpoint autogates resume operations after 48-hour shutdown

The cause of the breakdown has yet to be determined.

Xueting Wu

January 12, 2026, 03:56 PM

The technical problems that caused all the autogates at Malaysia's two land checkpoints with Singapore to crash have been resolved.

They were functioning normally again close to midnight on Jan. 11, according to Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh, the chairman of the Johor works, transportation, infrastructure and communications committee, The Star reported.

The cause of the disruption, which lasted for about 48 hours since early on Jan. 10, had not been made clear as of the morning of Jan. 12.

Long waits

The issue mainly affected people with foreign passports going through the bus halls, as Malaysian travellers and those crossing by car or motorcycle did not have to use the autogates.

During the disruption, tens of thousands of foreigners were reportedly stuck in long queues, with some waiting up to two hours to clear immigration at Bangunan Sultan Iskandar Customs Immigration and Quarantine Complex (BSI).

"Although the overall situation is manageable, the large volume of people during peak hours led to delays, especially in BSI," a security official told The Star.

While acknowledging the technical glitch, Fazli denied claims of such major congestion.

"Based on CCTV monitoring, there was no situation involving 10,000 people being stranded. The situation was controlled and did not pose any safety or security concerns," he told the New Straits Times.

The issue was limited in scope and did not paralyse border movements, he claimed.

He shared with NST a photo from a CCTV camera at BSI labelled to be taken at 3:25pm on Jan. 10. It did not show thousands of people in the queues.

To ease the queues, the Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency took various approaches including a contra-flow arrangement in the bus hall, having special lanes for Malaysians and foreigners, and deploying additional personnel from the people's volunteer corps.

According to The Star, during weekends, BSI typically clears more than 180,000 foreigners both ways, while the Sultan Abu Bakar Complex (KSAB) can clear around 50,000 foreigners.