RTS Link to start passenger services in February 2027 after trial runs
The Johor Bahru-Singapore RTS Link will begin passenger services in February 2027, after system tests and trial runs are completed by the end of this year. The revised timeline follows a 16-year project history marked by suspensions and delays, with the latest announcement made on Oct 2.
SINGAPORE: The Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link will begin passenger services in February 2027, after system tests and trial runs are completed by the end of this year, RTS Operations said on Oct 2. The revised timeline remains subject to the operating company obtaining independent safety certification and securing final regulatory approvals.
The announcement 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 the RTS Link formally resumed in July 2020, the targeted opening was pushed from the end of 2024 to the end of 2026.
The journey began in May 2010 when Singapore and Malaysia announced plans 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 the RTS Link would have a single co-located customs, immigration and quarantine (CIQ) facility in Singapore. This later evolved into two co-located CIQ facilities, one in each country, as announced in 2011.
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 reiterating the end-2024 target.
However, after Malaysia's Pakatan Harapan alliance took power in 2018, the new government said it wanted to review the project's cost. In April 2019, Singapore and Malaysia agreed to suspend the project for six months at Malaysia's request. The suspension was extended several times before the project officially resumed in July 2020, with operations pushed to the end of 2026.
With the project back on track, LTA awarded a S$180 million contract for the construction of a bridge and tunnels in 2021. A milestone was met in January 2024 when roughly 65 per cent of structural works in both countries were completed. The first RTS Link train was unveiled in June 2025, and the first train arrived at Woodlands North Station in February 2026 for a scheduled demonstration.
Singapore passed legislation in May allowing for the co-location of both countries' CIQ facilities at each station. On Sep 4, the Woodlands North Station was completed, with LTA releasing images of the ticketing concourse and arrival and departure halls. The 4km journey between Woodlands North and Bukit Chagar in Johor Bahru will take about 5 minutes, with the shortest wait for a train being 3.6 minutes.
