Excitement building up over 6-minute SG-JB RTS Link crossing

SINGAPORE: The official Facebook account for the Singapore-Johor Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link stoked excitement last week with a post about how quickly commuters will get from one point to another when the link is operational.

“Ever wondered how quickly you’ll be crossing the border with the new RTS Link?” the post asked, and quickly answered with “Just six minutes—that’s all it takes for an end-to-end journey!”

The post, which has since been shared over 220 times, added the other features of the “game-changing shuttle service,” which has been “built for efficiency and convenience, with a capacity of 10,000 passengers per hour per direction!”

It added that during peak hours, it will run every 3.6 minutes. There is also enough parking for commuters, with 1,550 car bays & 1,000 motorcycle bays at Bukit Chagar. Finally, the RTS link will operate between 6:00 a.m. and 12:00 a.m. every day.

The post ended with, “We’re not just building a railway—we’re shaping the future of seamless cross-border connectivity.”

The project is expected to begin operations in late 2026.

In February, RTS Operations (RTSO) project director Zahrin Abdul Gani confirmed that track installation, signalling, and power supply systems are taking shape. The project was reportedly around 50% complete at the time, as key rail system works were progressing as planned.

RTSO is a joint venture between Prasarana Malaysia and the Singapore Mass Rapid Transit (SMRT) Corporation. The track installation, which began in September last year at the Wadi Hana Depot in Johor Bahru, is expected to reach Singapore’s Woodlands North station next month.

The link will be an important part of the solution to the persistent traffic problems on the Causeway between Singapore and Malaysia, which is used by approximately 300,000 people daily. Travel time for commuters would be cut to just a few minutes on the Llink.

It will connect Bukit Chagar station in Johor Bahru to Woodlands North station in Singapore and has the capacity to transport around 10,000 passengers each way. The project is budgeted to cost S$3.24 billion, with Malaysia taking on a 39% share of the costs while Singapore will shoulder the remaining 61%.

“This project is much more than building bridges—it is also about building a better future for both countries, strengthening our longstanding friendship and creating more win-win opportunities for our businesses and citizens in areas of common interest and mutual benefit,” said former Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat last year. /TISG

Read also: Malaysia’s Penang LRT and Johor RTS Link to help ease traffic, but bus networks may hold the key