Study on M'sia-S'pore Rapid Transit System to start after JB terminal is decided

THE second phase of an engineering study on the Rapid Transit System (RTS), to which Singapore's MRT system will be connected, will begin after the location of the terminal in Johor Baru has been fixed.

Meanwhile, Singapore is also expected to announce the location of the High Speed Rail (HSR) terminal at the upcoming Leaders' Retreat.

The Malaysia-Singapore Joint Ministerial Committee for Iskandar Malaysia (JMCIM) said this in a press statement on Friday as it gave an update on the ongoing work between both countries.

The RTS will connect Johor Baru to the Thomson MRT line and is set for completion by 2018.

Malaysian media reports last year named Bukit Chagar - near the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine complex at the Sultan Iskandar Building - as the location of the terminal, rather than potential sites such as Tanjung Puteri and JB Sentral.

Meanwhile, work is progressing on the HSR, with various working groups now looking into the technical requirements, and the operating and financing models, said the JMCIM. Media reports last year had said that details on the HSR will be finalised in the first quarter of this year.

Transport connectivity between both countries is also being enhanced through an increase in the quota for cross-border bus services from 16 to 20. A committee is currently reviewing new landing points in both countries to further improve the cross-border bus network.

The JMCIM was co-chaired by Malaysia's Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Abdul Wahid Omar and Singapore's Minister for National Development Khaw Boon Wan. Johor's Menteri Besar Mohamed Khaled Nordin and Singapore's Minister for Transport Lui Tuck Yew, as well as senior officials from both countries, were also at the meeting.