2 countries, 2 stations, 1 sea crossing, many engineering challenges: JB-Singapore RTS Link CEO reflects on the project

The Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System Link (RTS Link) project may be seen as relatively straightforward — with only two stations — but there's more than meets the eye, said RTS Operations chief executive officer Dr Ahmad Marzuki Ariffin on Tuesday (Oct 6).

One such challenge he pointed out, not obvious to the untrained eye, is the viaduct's 3 per cent gradient.

"This is by design, the maximum slope allowed in the RTS Link for train operations," Dr Ahmad Marzuki shared in a Facebook post.

He explained that trains would descend along this slope from the bridge's highest point towards ground level, and must also maintain a safe speed before stopping smoothly and accurately at Woodlands North station.

This, he said, requires careful coordination of the track design, braking and signalling systems.

In addition, the tropical climate in Johor Bahru and Singapore means wet weather considerations will have to be factored into operations.

"Rain can reduce grip between the wheels and rails. This affects how trains accelerate and brake. Thorough testing is therefore essential to ensure safe and reliable operations in different weather conditions," the trained rail engineer with more than 16 years of experience explained.

Seemingly straightforward but not so

Since announcing on Oct 2 that passenger operations are expected to begin in February 2027 — some two months longer than initially expected — social media users on both sides of the Causeway have asked why system tests and trial runs on a "straightforward system" would need a longer time.

Addressing this at the start of his post, Dr Ahmad Marzuki said: "Two countries. Two stations. One sea crossing. Many complex engineering challenges."

He shared that while the cross-border rail project may seem "relatively straightforward" with just two stations, safe and reliable journeys require careful engineering.

"The trains, tracks, signalling systems and infrastructure must work together seamlessly," he said.

These, he added, involves many hours of design thinking, testing and teamwork.

Dr Ahmad Marzuki ended off his post by acknowledging efforts put in by engineers and project teams from both countries.

He also thanked the Singapore and Malaysia grantors, and the project's partners for their support and cooperation.

About the JB-Singapore RTS Link

Once passenger service begins, the 4km shuttle from Woodlands North station to Bukit Chagar station in JB will operate at a maximum speed of 80kmh and can accommodate up to 10,000 passengers per hour in each direction.

Singapore's Minister for Transport Jeffrey Siow said on Oct 2 that the rail service is targeted to begin passenger service before Hari Raya next year, which is expected to take place around March 10.

A study commissioned by the Singapore Business Federation, Restaurant Association of Singapore and Singapore Retailers Association in March this year had projected that Singaporeans will spend an additional $1.05 billion annually on retail and F&B purchases in JB once the RTS Link opens.

At the same time, local businesses stand to gain an estimated $756 million annually from JB visitors, resulting in an additional net annual spending outflow of about $290 million — 0.4 per cent of Singapore's total retail and F&B sales in 2025.

Fares for RTS Link are expected to be priced around $5 to $7 per trip , said Malaysia's Transport Minister Anthony Loke in February.

新山-新加坡快速交通系统连接线（RTS Link）项目看似相对简单——只有两个车站——但RTS运营首席执行官艾哈迈德·马祖基·阿里芬博士周二（10月6日）表示，其中的复杂之处远不止表面看起来那么简单。

他指出，其中一个挑战（对于未经训练的人来说并不明显）是高架桥 3% 的坡度。

“这是设计使然，是RTS Link列车运行允许的最大坡度，”艾哈迈德·马祖基博士在Facebook帖子中分享道。

他解释说，列车将沿着这个斜坡从桥的最高点向下行驶到地面，并且必须保持安全的速度，才能平稳准确地停靠在兀兰北站。

他说，这需要对轨道设计、制动系统和信号系统进行仔细协调。

此外，柔佛新山和新加坡的热带气候意味着运营中必须考虑雨天因素。

“雨水会降低车轮与铁轨之间的摩擦力，这会影响列车的加速和制动性能。因此，进行全面的测试对于确保列车在不同天气条件下安全可靠地运行至关重要，”这位拥有超过16年经验的专业铁路工程师解释道。

看似简单，实则不然

自 10 月 2 日宣布客运运营预计将于 2027 年 2 月开始（比最初预期的时间晚了大约两个月）以来，堤道两岸的社交媒体用户一直在质疑，为什么对一个“简单的系统”进行系统测试和试运行需要更长的时间。

艾哈迈德·马祖基博士在帖子开头就指出：“两个国家。两个站点。一次跨海航行。许多复杂的工程挑战。”

他表示，虽然跨境铁路项目看起来“相对简单”，只有两个车站，但安全可靠的旅程需要精心的工程设计。

他说：“列车、轨道、信号系统和基础设施必须无缝协作。”

他补充说，这需要花费大量时间进行设计思考、测试和团队合作。

艾哈迈德·马祖基博士在帖子的最后，对两国工程师和项目团队所付出的努力表示感谢。

他还感谢新加坡和马来西亚的资助方以及项目合作伙伴的支持与合作。

关于新山-新加坡RTS连接线

一旦客运服务开始，从兀兰北站到新山武吉查卡站的 4 公里穿梭巴士最高时速为 80 公里/小时，每小时每个方向最多可容纳 10,000 名乘客。

新加坡交通部长萧敬腾于10月2日表示，该铁路服务计划在明年开斋节前开始客运服务，预计开斋节将在3月10日左右举行。

今年 3 月，新加坡商业联合会、新加坡餐饮协会和新加坡零售商协会委托进行的一项研究预测，一旦 RTS Link 开通，新加坡人每年将在新山的零售和餐饮消费上额外花费 10.5 亿美元。

与此同时，当地企业每年预计将从新山游客那里获得约 7.56 亿美元的收入，从而导致每年净支出流出约 2.9 亿美元——占新加坡 2025 年零售和餐饮总销售额的 0.4%。

马来西亚交通部长陆兆福在2月份表示，RTS Link的票价预计每次行程在5至7美元左右。