Woodlands North station ready, another step closer to Johor Bahru-S'pore RTS Link opening

The Woodlands North station in Singapore is completed and ready four months before the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link is set to be open in January 2027.

The Land Transport Authority shared photos of the station on Facebook on Sep. 4.

LTA said the colours and design of Woodlands North station were inspired by trees and incorporated Woodlands' nature identity.

Engineering challenges

Building the station's foundation was challenging, as construction had to be carried out on a "high volume of hard rock" at the site, LTA noted in its post.

Engineers had to carry out over 600 instances of rock blasting in "smaller controlled quantities" whenever the trains left the station and used high-capacity drilling machines, LTA said.

This was done as Woodlands North station is connected to the Thomson-East Coast Line that is in operation.

Clear immigration once

Commuters will be able to transfer between the RTS Link and TEL Woodlands North station at basement one via a spacious concourse.

The Singapore immigration hall is at basement one.

The Malaysia customs, immigration and quarantine (CIQ) facilities are located at basement two.

Commuters only need to clear immigration once and undergo security checks before boarding the train for departure from the platforms.

The 4km shuttle from Woodlands North station to Bukit Chagar station in Johor Bahru will take 5 minutes.

The train has a maximum speed of 80kmh and can accommodate up to 10,000 passengers per hour in each direction.

An aesthetic feature along the viaduct mid-journey at the international border between Singapore and Malaysia depicts a clasping of hands symbolising the close partnership between the two countries.

Preview of station

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung visited the new premises and provided a glimpse of the completed facilities.

Ong, who is also Coordinating Minister for Social Polices, was given a tour of the new station located in Sembawang GRC, where he is an MP.

He said the RTS Link is a "very meaningful bilateral project" between Singapore and Malaysia.

@ongyekung

A sneak peek of the RTS at Woodlands North Station!

♬ original sound - Ye Kung Ong