A morning aerial view of Woodlands Checkpoint and the Causeway looking out towards Johor Bahru, Malaysia photographed on 3 March 2015.
Commuters will be able to take an MRT ride across the border to Johor Baru by Dec 31, 2024.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on Tuesday (Jan 16) witnessed the signing of a bilateral agreement to build the Johor Baru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link.
Rail operators SMRT and Prasarana Malaysia will form a joint venture by June this year to run the RTS Link.
Looking forward to it? Here are some things to know:
1. THERE WILL BE A TRAIN EVERY 8 MINUTES
When it is ready by Dec 31, 2024, commuters can hop on a train every eight minutes on average. Trains will eventually arrive every four minutes on average during peak periods.
The line will start with five trains, and gradually have a total fleet of seven trains.
The link can carry up to 10,000 passengers per hour in each direction. This means 60,000 additional commuters will be able to cross the Causeway during peak hours. Currently, an average of 300 passengers travel in each direction per hour using the daily shuttle train service between Woodlands and Johor Baru.
2. START YOUR JOURNEY AT WOODLANDS NORTH
The line will link Bukit Chagar station in Johor Baru, near Sentral train station, to the Singapore terminus in Woodlands North, where commuters can transfer to the upcoming Thomson-East Coast MRT Line (TEL).
The TEL is expected to open in phases from 2019 to 2024, and will comprise 31 stations stretching from Woodlands in the North to Sungei Bedok.
3. PASSENGERS NEED TO CLEAR CUSTOMS ONLY ONCE
The link will have a joint customs, immigration and quarantine facility at both terminus stations.
Passengers who are crossing the border will need to clear customs and immigration only when they depart from either Singapore or Malaysia.
