KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia will engage in discussions with Singapore to allow the KTMB Shuttle Tebrau train service to continue even after the completion of the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link project, according to the Transport Minister Anthony Loke. Loke stated that the bilateral agreement between Malaysia and Singapore includes a condition to cease the operation of the KTMB Shuttle Tebrau service six months after the completion of the RTS Link project. However, Loke expressed his belief that having more connectivity between the two countries is not wrong and he will negotiate with Singapore to retain this service even after the RTS Link project is completed.
Loke’s response came during the Parliament’s Minister’s Question Time in reply to a supplementary question from Suhaizan Kaiat. Suhaizan inquired about the future of the KTMB Shuttle Tebrau train service after the completion of the RTS Link project in 2027. The RTS Link project is a four-kilometre shuttle service between Woodlands North station in Singapore and Bukit Chagar station in Malaysia. With a capacity of 10,000 passengers per hour in each direction, the RTS Link was designed to provide quick and comfortable transportation between Johor Bahru and Singapore, taking only five minutes.
In response to the initial question, Loke mentioned that the number of passengers on the KTMB Shuttle Tebrau service between JB Sentral and Woodlands, Singapore has been restored and even saw a substantial increase. He explained that the average daily passenger count this year is 8,635 individuals, which is a 7% increase compared to the pre-Covid-19 record of 8,077 individuals per day in 2019. Loke further informed that the government has engaged with Singaporean authorities through the Malaysia-Singapore Joint Ministerial Committee for Iskandar Malaysia (JMCIM) to enhance the capacity of the KTMB Shuttle Tebrau service by increasing the frequency of train operations from 31 trips to 36 trips and raising the number of train carriages per operation from four carriages to eight carriages. These improvements would allow an increased passenger capacity of up to 13,760 individuals per day, but Loke mentioned that they are still awaiting feedback from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) of Singapore.
The KTMB Shuttle Tebrau train service to Woodlands was resumed on June 19 last year after a suspension of more than two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Loke highlighted that various measures have been implemented to increase the coaches and trips, but the ability to implement them also depends on the approval from Singapore. He emphasized that the discussions with Singapore may take some time to negotiate and secure these additions due to Singapore’s constraints related to immigration services at Woodlands.
Regarding the congestion at the Johor Causeway, Loke mentioned that the government is addressing the issue through measures such as optimizing the use of immigration counters and increasing motorcycle lanes. Loke expressed hope that the completion of the RTS Link project would alleviate some of the congestion in the long term. He also noted that the government is exploring other ways to enhance connectivity, including a proposal to introduce ferry services between Malaysia and Singapore, specifically from Johor Bahru to Singapore.
