KLUANG: The Transport Minister, Anthony Loke, has stated that Malaysians using the KTMB Shuttle Tebrau may soon be able to enjoy the train service for a flat rate of RM5 each way. Currently, the price for a one-way ticket from Johor Baru to Woodlands, Singapore is RM5, while the ticket for the opposite direction is SGD5 (RM17.30).
Loke mentioned that KTMB has proposed to change the pricing structure of the tickets for Malaysian citizens to make it the same for both directions. He welcomed the suggestion and said that he will discuss the matter with the Land Public Transport Agency, with the hopes of implementing the change by early next year.
These statements were made by Loke in a press conference after the Johor DAP convention at a restaurant in Kluang on Sunday (Dec 10). “Shuttle Tebrau is a mode that is used by many, and daily, about 10,000 passengers are using the service,” he added.
Loke also clarified that there was no need for Malaysia to discuss with Singapore about the proposal as Malaysia fully owns KTMB. When asked about the continuation of Shuttle Tebrau after the completion of the Johor Baru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link project, he mentioned that there was still time for that. “That will be done later as there are still three years until the completion of the RTS Link. For now, we will focus on improving the service first,” he said, addressing the issue.
On Oct 26, Loke informed the Parliament that Malaysia will discuss with Singapore to allow the KTMB Shuttle Tebrau train service to continue even after completing the RTS Link project. He mentioned that under the previous bilateral agreement between the two countries, one of the agreed-upon conditions is to cease the operation of the KTMB Shuttle Tebrau service six months after the completion of the RTS Link project.
