Malaysia to negotiate continuation of Johor Bahru-Singapore shuttle service

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will try to negotiate with Singapore to maintain the Shuttle Tebrau train service between Johor Bahru Sentral and Woodlands after the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link begins operations.

Malaysia's Transport Minister Anthony Loke said on Thursday (Oct 26) that the termination of the shuttle service was one of the conditions agreed between Malaysia and Singapore in implementing the RTS project.

“I personally feel that it is not wrong if we have more connectivity between the two countries ... which gives choices to passengers.

“Therefore, the Ministry of Transport (MOT) will try to negotiate this matter with Singapore, so that this service is maintained even after the RTS starts operating,” he said at the Ministers’ Question Time session in parliament. The JB-Singapore RTS Link is expected to begin operations by end-2026. 

Mr Loke said this in his reply to a supplementary question from Pulai Member of Parliament (MP) Suhaizan Kaiat on whether the shuttle service between Johor Bahru Sentral and Woodlands will be maintained after the RTS commences operations.

The RTS Link aims to connect Bukit Chagar in Johor Bahru to Woodlands in Singapore, serving about 10,000 passengers per hour each way to help ease traffic congestion on the Causeway. 

RTS Link tunnels will connect to a viaduct 25m above the Straits of Johor, bridging the Woodlands North station in Singapore to the Bukit Chagar station in Johor Bahru.

The CIQ (customs, immigration, quarantine) facilities of both countries will be co-located at the Woodlands North and Bukit Chagar stations, which means passengers only need to clear immigration authorities once - at their point of departure.

Responding to Mr Suhaizan's original question regarding the ridership of Shuttle Tebrau and measures to increase the capacity of the service, Mr Loke said the number of passengers recorded an encouraging increase. This year, it increased by seven per cent, which is an average of 8,635 passengers per day, he said.

He added that the Malaysia-Singapore Joint Ministerial Committee for Iskandar Malaysia (JMCIM) decided to increase the capacity of the train service, which included increasing the frequency of train operations from 31 to 36 trips and increasing the number of coaches per train operation from four to eight coaches.

CNA has reached out to Singapore’s Ministry of Transport for response on Mr Loke’s comments on the negotiations to continue the Shuttle Tebrau train service.

Meanwhile, in his reply to an additional question from Jerantut MP Khairil Nizam Khirudin regarding measures to reduce congestion at peak periods at the country’s entry points for Malaysians working in Singapore, Mr Loke said that among the efforts being made include coordination with various agencies to speed up the immigration process at the Johor Causeway.

“In addition, ... the counter or Touch 'n Go service to pay the road charge for entry from Singapore ... has been consolidated which can save some time for cars from Singapore entering Malaysia.

“We will try to add more motorcycle lanes and immigration counters. In addition, we are also looking at other ways to increase connectivity through a proposal to have a ferry service between the two countries,” he said.