Johor Bahru-Singapore RTS Link timeline: A project 16 years in the making

A look back at the more than 16-year journey of the Johor Bahru-Singapore RTS Link.

A pedestrian overhead bridge connecting RTS Link Bukit Chagar station to nearby amenities. (Photo: CNA/Zamzahuri Abas)

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SINGAPORE: The Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link is now expected to begin passenger services in February 2027, after system tests and trial runs are completed by the end of this year.

The latest delay adds another chapter to a cross-border rail project first announced more than 16 years ago.

The project has undergone several changes and delays, including a lengthy suspension from April 2019 while Malaysia reviewed the project. When RTS Link project formally resumed in July 2020, the targeted opening was pushed from the end of 2024 to the end of 2026.

Here's how the journey of the RTS Link has transpired so far.

2010 to 2016: Idea and an agreed route

CNA Games Guess Word Crack the word, one row at a time Buzzword Create words using the given letters Mini Sudoku Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser Mini Crossword Small grid, big challenge Word Search Spot as many words as you can Show More Show Less The start of the journey began in May 2010 when Singapore and Malaysia announced plans at the annual Leaders' Retreat for a rapid transit system connecting Singapore and Johor Bahru, with a target operational date of 2018. Then-prime ministers Lee Hsien Loong and Najib Razak said in a joint statement then that for the convenience of commuters, the RTS Link would have a single co-located customs, immigration and quarantine (CIQ) facility in Singapore. This would evolve into two co-located CIQ facilities - one in Singapore and one in Johor Bahru - as announced in 2011. In a press release, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that this was done so that commuters need to clear immigration only once for each way of travel. It was also announced that the terminating stations of the RTS Link would be in the vicinity of JB Sentral on the Malaysia side and in the vicinity of Republic Polytechnic on Singapore's side. In its 2013 master plan, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) included plans for the RTS Link to be integrated with the Thomson Line, which would eventually be developed and renamed as the Thomson-East Coast Line. LTA's master plan also said that the first phase of a joint engineering study to determine the technical parameters for the RTS Link was completed. In 2015, Mr Lee announced during the Singapore-Malaysia Leaders' Retreat that Woodlands North on the Thomson-East Coast Line would be the RTS Link terminus on Singapore's side. Bukit Chagar in Johor Bahru was confirmed as the terminus in Malaysia at the following year's Leaders' Retreat. 2017 to 2020: Agreements and delays In 2017, it was announced that the RTS Link would begin passenger services by the end of 2024 , carrying up to 10,000 passengers per hour in each direction. Singapore rail company SMRT and Malaysia’s metro operator Prasarana Malaysia signed an MOU the same year to form a joint venture company to operate the rail line. In January 2018, both countries inked a bilateral agreement for the RTS Link, reiterating an end-2024 target for the start of passenger services. Certain amendments were also made to the proposed track alignment and agreed upon by both countries. Several months later, however, Malaysia's Pakatan Harapan alliance took power after the general election , with the new government saying it intended to proceed with the RTS Link but wanted to review its cost. In January 2019, then-Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said the RTS Link was "behind schedule" and that “milestones have been missed”. In April that year, Mr Khaw said that Singapore and Malaysia were working on an agreement to suspend the project for six months at Malaysia’s request . This was finalised in May, with the transport ministry saying at the time that Malaysia would have to bear the agreed costs incurred by Singapore if it decided not to proceed with the project by an end-September 2019 deadline. The suspension period was further extended by a month to end-October “in the spirit of bilateral cooperation” , without any cost to Malaysia. This was then extended to Apr 30, 2020, and then Jul 31, 2020.

The start of the journey began in May 2010 when Singapore and Malaysia announced plans at the annual Leaders' Retreat for a rapid transit system connecting Singapore and Johor Bahru, with a target operational date of 2018.

Then-prime ministers Lee Hsien Loong and Najib Razak said in a joint statement then that for the convenience of commuters, the RTS Link would have a single co-located customs, immigration and quarantine (CIQ) facility in Singapore.

This would evolve into two co-located CIQ facilities - one in Singapore and one in Johor Bahru - as announced in 2011.

In a press release, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that this was done so that commuters need to clear immigration only once for each way of travel.

It was also announced that the terminating stations of the RTS Link would be in the vicinity of JB Sentral on the Malaysia side and in the vicinity of Republic Polytechnic on Singapore's side.

In its 2013 master plan, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) included plans for the RTS Link to be integrated with the Thomson Line, which would eventually be developed and renamed as the Thomson-East Coast Line.

LTA's master plan also said that the first phase of a joint engineering study to determine the technical parameters for the RTS Link was completed.

In 2015, Mr Lee announced during the Singapore-Malaysia Leaders' Retreat that Woodlands North on the Thomson-East Coast Line would be the RTS Link terminus on Singapore's side.

Bukit Chagar in Johor Bahru was confirmed as the terminus in Malaysia at the following year's Leaders' Retreat.

2017 to 2020: Agreements and delays

In 2017, it was announced that the RTS Link would begin passenger services by the end of 2024 , carrying up to 10,000 passengers per hour in each direction.

Singapore rail company SMRT and Malaysia’s metro operator Prasarana Malaysia signed an MOU the same year to form a joint venture company to operate the rail line.

In January 2018, both countries inked a bilateral agreement for the RTS Link, reiterating an end-2024 target for the start of passenger services. Certain amendments were also made to the proposed track alignment and agreed upon by both countries.

Several months later, however, Malaysia's Pakatan Harapan alliance took power after the general election , with the new government saying it intended to proceed with the RTS Link but wanted to review its cost.

In January 2019, then-Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said the RTS Link was "behind schedule" and that “milestones have been missed”.

In April that year, Mr Khaw said that Singapore and Malaysia were working on an agreement to suspend the project for six months at Malaysia’s request . This was finalised in May, with the transport ministry saying at the time that Malaysia would have to bear the agreed costs incurred by Singapore if it decided not to proceed with the project by an end-September 2019 deadline.

The suspension period was further extended by a month to end-October “in the spirit of bilateral cooperation” , without any cost to Malaysia. This was then extended to Apr 30, 2020, and then Jul 31, 2020.

The project was officially resumed in July 2020 - with the start date for operations pushed to the end of 2026.

The project also had a few changes: the RTS would be a standalone LRT system, instead of leveraging the Thomson-East Coast Line MRT network as initially planned.

The RTS Link would also no longer use the existing Thomson-East Coast Line Mandai Depot and a new depot would be constructed in Wadi Hana, Johor Bahru.

There was also a concession agreement for the Malaysian government and LTA to appoint RTS Operations as the operating company for the first 30-year concession period.

RTS Operations is a joint venture agreement between Singapore’s SMRT RTS, a unit of SMRT Corp, and Malaysia’s Prasarana RTS Operations.

2021 to 2025: Construction and unveilings

With the project back on track, LTA awarded a S$180 million contract for the construction of a bridge and tunnels in 2021.

This included the construction of a 25m-high bridge linking an underground station at Woodlands North in Singapore to the above-ground Bukit Chagar station in Johor.

A milestone was met in January 2024 when roughly 65 per cent of structural works required for the RTS Link in both countries were completed.

A 17.1m reinforced concrete structure connecting Malaysia’s Pier 47 and Singapore’s Pier 48 above sea level – the closest piers to the other country - was also completed.

Singapore's Acting Minister for Transport Chee Hong Tat at the time said that RTS fares would be "determined commercially" by the operating company once the service is up and running. Certain factors, such as the demand for RTS Link services and "the cost of providing an efficient and reliable service for commuters on a financially sustainable basis", would be considered.

At the 2025 Leaders' Retreat in January, Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim expressed satisfaction with the "good progress" of the project.

Marking another milestone, the RTS Link's first train was unveiled in June 2025.

It was also announced that the first trains would depart from each end of the line at 6am, while the last trains would depart at 12am each day.

The 4km journey between Woodlands North and Bukit Chagar in Johor Bahru would take about 5 minutes, with the shortest wait for a train being 3.6 minutes.

In December 2025, Mr Wong and Mr Anwar met in Singapore, where the supplementary agreement to the RTS Link bilateral agreement was signed to facilitate preparations for the co-located CIQ facilities.

The exterior of the RTS Link Woodlands North Station as seen in a Sep 4, 2026, Facebook post from LTA. (Photo: Facebook/LTA)

The immigration halls of the RTS Link Woodlands North Station as seen in a Sep 4, 2026, Facebook post from LTA. (Photo: Facebook/LTA)

The basement 1 arrival hall of the RTS Link Woodlands North Station as seen in a Sep 4, 2026, Facebook post from LTA. (Photo: Facebook/LTA)

With final preparations underway, t he first RTS Link train arrived in Woodlands North Station in February for a scheduled demo.

Singapore passed legislation in May allowing for the co-location of both countries’ CIQ facilities at each station. Malaysia’s officers will be deployed at the customs and immigration zone at Woodlands North station in Singapore, and Singapore officers will likewise be deployed to Bukit Chagar station in Malaysia.

The Bill also includes provisions for managing incidents that occur on the railway tracks when moving between countries. Singapore and Malaysia have agreed that both countries will have concurrent criminal jurisdiction over criminal offences that occur on board trains in transit, as well as over the stretch of railway tracks located between Piers 47 and 48

On Sep 4, the RTS Link Woodlands North Station was completed, with LTA releasing images of the ticketing concourse and arrival and departure halls. LTA said in a Facebook post that passengers will be able to "transfer seamlessly" to the RTS Link from the TEL Woodlands North station at Basement 1.

On Oct 2, RTS Operations said that the passenger services will begin in February 2027, after system tests and trial runs are completed by the end of this year.

The revised timeline remains subject to RTS Operations obtaining independent safety certification for the RTS Link and securing final regulatory approvals.

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回顾新山-新加坡RTS连接线16年多的建设历程。

连接RTS Link Bukit Chagar站和附近设施的人行天桥。（图片：CNA/Zamzahuri Abas）

这段音频由人工智能工具生成。

新加坡：柔佛新山-新加坡快速交通系统（RTS）连接线预计将于2027年2月开始载客服务，此前该系统测试和试运行将于今年年底完成。

最新的延误为这项早在16年前就已宣布的跨境铁路项目又添了一笔。

该项目经历了多次变更和延期，包括自2019年4月起马来西亚对项目进行审查期间的长期暂停。RTS Link项目于2020年7月正式恢复后，原定的通车时间从2024年底推迟至2026年底。

以下是RTS Link迄今为止的发展历程。

2010年至2016年：构想和商定路线

CNA游戏 猜词游戏 逐行破解单词 流行词游戏 用给定的字母组成单词 迷你数独 小谜题，脑力挑战 迷你填字游戏 小方格，大挑战 单词搜索 尽可能多地找出单词 显示更多 显示更少 这段旅程始于2010年5月，当时新加坡和马来西亚在年度领导人务虚会上宣布了连接新加坡和新山的快速交通系统计划，目标运营日期为2018年。时任总理李显龙和纳吉布·拉扎克在当时的联合声明中表示，为了方便通勤者，RTS Link将在新加坡设立一个统一的海关、移民和检疫（CIQ）设施。正如2011年宣布的那样，这将发展成为两个统一的CIQ设施——一个在新加坡，一个在新山。外交部在一份新闻稿中表示，这样做是为了让通勤者每次出行只需办理一次入境手续。同时宣布，RTS Link的终点站将分别位于马来西亚一侧的JB Sentral附近和新加坡一侧的共和理工学院附近。陆路交通管理局（LTA）在其2013年的总体规划中，将RTS Link与汤申线整合，后者最终将被开发并更名为汤申-东海岸线。LTA的总体规划还指出，旨在确定RTS Link技术参数的联合工程研究的第一阶段已经完成。2015年，李显龙总理在新加坡-马来西亚领导人非正式会议上宣布，汤申-东海岸线上的兀兰北站将成为新加坡一侧的RTS Link终点站。次年的领导人非正式会议上，柔佛州新山的武吉查卡站被确认为马来西亚一侧的终点站。 2017年至2020年：协议与延误 2017年，新加坡宣布RTS Link将于2024年底开始客运服务，单向每小时最多可运送1万名乘客。同年，新加坡铁路公司SMRT和马来西亚地铁运营商Prasarana Malaysia签署了一份谅解备忘录，成立一家合资公司运营该铁路线。2018年1月，两国就RTS Link签署了双边协议，重申了2024年底开始客运服务的目标。双方还对拟建的轨道走向进行了一些修改，并达成一致。然而，几个月后，马来西亚希望联盟在大选中上台执政，新政府表示将继续推进RTS Link项目，但希望重新评估其成本。2019年1月，时任交通部长许文远表示，RTS Link项目“进度落后”，并且“错过了一些里程碑”。同年4月，许文远先生表示，应马来西亚的要求，新加坡和马来西亚正在商讨一项暂停该项目六个月的协议。该协议于5月最终敲定，当时交通部表示，如果马来西亚决定在2019年9月底的最后期限前终止该项目，则必须承担新加坡已产生的相关费用。“本着双边合作的精神”，暂停期又延长了一个月至10月底，马来西亚无需承担任何费用。之后，暂停期再次延长至2020年4月30日，随后又延长至2020年7月31日。

这段旅程始于 2010 年 5 月，当时新加坡和马来西亚在年度领导人务虚会上宣布了连接新加坡和新山的快速交通系统计划，目标是在 2018 年投入运营。

时任总理李显龙和纳吉布·拉扎克在一份联合声明中表示，为了方便通勤者，RTS Link 将在新加坡设立一个统一的海关、移民和检疫 (CIQ) 设施。

这将发展成为两个位于同一地点的 CIQ 设施——一个在新加坡，一个在柔佛州新山——正如 2011 年宣布的那样。

外交部在一份新闻稿中表示，这样做是为了让通勤者每次出行只需办理一次入境手续。

据宣布，RTS Link 的终点站将分别位于马来西亚一侧的 JB Sentral 附近和新加坡一侧的共和理工学院附近。

在 2013 年的总体规划中，陆路交通管理局 (LTA) 制定了将 RTS Link 与汤申线整合的计划，该线路最终将被开发并更名为汤申-东海岸线。

陆路交通管理局的总体规划还指出，确定 RTS Link 技术参数的联合工程研究的第一阶段已经完成。

2015 年，李显龙先生在新加坡-马来西亚领导人非正式会议上宣布，汤申-东海岸线上的兀兰北站将成为新加坡境内 RTS 连接线的终点站。

在次年的领导人务虚会上，柔佛州新山的武吉查卡被确定为马来西亚的终点站。

2017年至2020年：协议与延误

2017 年，官方宣布 RTS Link 将于 2024 年底开始客运服务，每小时每个方向最多可运送 10,000 名乘客。

同年，新加坡铁路公司SMRT和马来西亚地铁运营商Prasarana Malaysia签署了一份谅解备忘录，成立一家合资公司来运营该铁路线。

2018年1月，两国签署了RTS Link双边协议，重申了2024年底开通客运服务的目标。双方还对拟建的轨道线路进行了一些修改，并达成一致。

然而，几个月后，马来西亚希望联盟在大选中上台执政，新政府表示打算继续推进 RTS Link 项目，但希望重新评估其成本。

2019 年 1 月，时任交通部长许文远表示，RTS Link 项目“进度落后”，并且“错过了一些里程碑”。

同年4月，许文远先生表示，新加坡和马来西亚正在协商一项协议，应马来西亚的要求暂停该项目六个月。该协议于5月最终敲定，当时交通部表示，如果马来西亚决定在2019年9月底的最后期限前终止该项目，则必须承担新加坡已产生的约定费用。

本着“双边合作精神”，暂停期进一步延长一个月至10月底，马来西亚无需承担任何费用。随后，暂停期又延长至2020年4月30日，之后又延长至2020年7月31日。

该项目于 2020 年 7 月正式恢复，运营开始日期推迟至 2026 年底。

该项目也进行了一些更改：RTS 将是一个独立的轻轨系统，而不是像最初计划的那样利用汤申-东海岸线地铁网络。

RTS Link 也将不再使用现有的汤申-东海岸线万代车辆段，而是在柔佛州新山的瓦迪哈纳建造一个新的车辆段。

马来西亚政府和陆路交通管理局还签署了一项特许经营协议，指定 RTS Operations 为首个 30 年特许经营期内的运营公司。

RTS Operations 是新加坡 SMRT Corp 旗下的 SMRT RTS 与马来西亚 Prasarana RTS Operations 之间的合资协议。

2021年至2025年：建设和揭幕

随着项目重回正轨，陆路交通管理局于 2021 年授予了一份价值 1.8 亿新元的合同，用于建造一座桥梁和隧道。

其中包括建造一座 25 米高的桥梁，连接新加坡兀兰北的地下车站和柔佛州的地面武吉查卡车站。

2024 年 1 月，RTS Link 在两国所需的结构工程约 65% 完成，这是一个重要的里程碑。

连接马来西亚 47 号码头和新加坡 48 号码头（两国距离最近的码头）的 17.1 米钢筋混凝土结构也已竣工。

新加坡交通部代部长徐芳达当时表示，RTS的票价将在服务正式运营后由运营公司“根据商业惯例”确定。票价制定会考虑诸多因素，例如RTS Link服务的需求以及“在财务上可持续地为通勤者提供高效可靠服务的成本”。

在 2025 年 1 月举行的领导人务虚会上，新加坡总理黄循财和马来西亚总理安瓦尔·易卜拉欣对该项目“取得的良好进展”表示满意。

又一个里程碑事件发生，RTS Link 的首列列车于 2025 年 6 月亮相。

官方还宣布，每天早上6点，线路两端的首班车将出发，末班车将于凌晨12点出发。

从兀兰北站到新山武吉查卡站的4公里路程大约需要5分钟，最短候车时间为3.6分钟。

2025 年 12 月，黄先生和安华先生在新加坡会面，签署了 RTS Link 双边协议的补充协议，以促进共同设立的 CIQ 设施的准备工作。

这是陆路交通管理局 (LTA) 于 2026 年 9 月 4 日在 Facebook 上发布的 RTS Link Woodlands North 站外观照片。（照片来源：Facebook/LTA）

2026年9月4日，陆路交通管理局（LTA）在Facebook上发布了一张照片，照片显示的是RTS Link兀兰北站的入境大厅。（照片：Facebook/LTA）

2026年9月4日，陆路交通管理局（LTA）在Facebook上发布了一张照片，照片显示的是RTS Link兀兰北站地下一层到达大厅。（照片来源：Facebook/LTA）

随着最后的准备工作进行，首列RTS Link列车于2月抵达兀兰北站，进行预定的演示。

新加坡于五月通过立法，允许两国海关和入境检查站（CIQ）在同一站点合署办公。马来西亚官员将部署在新加坡兀兰北站的海关和入境检查区，新加坡官员也将部署在马来西亚武吉查卡站。

该法案还包括对跨境列车行驶途中铁路轨道上发生的事故进行管理的条款。新加坡和马来西亚已达成一致，两国对过境列车上发生的刑事犯罪以及47号码头至48号码头之间的铁路轨道上发生的刑事犯罪拥有共同的刑事管辖权。

9月4日，RTS Link兀兰北站竣工，陆路交通管理局（LTA）公布了售票大厅和到达/出发大厅的图片。LTA在Facebook上发帖称，乘客可以从TEL兀兰北站地下1层“无缝换乘”RTS Link。

10 月 2 日，RTS 运营部门表示，在今年年底完成系统测试和试运行后，客运服务将于 2027 年 2 月开始。

修订后的时间表仍取决于RTS运营部门能否获得RTS Link的独立安全认证以及最终的监管批准。

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