RTS Link now expected to open in Feb 2027 instead of Dec 2026

SINGAPORE – The Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link’s opening will be delayed to February 2027, said RTS Operations (RTSO), the company appointed to run the cross-border rail line.

RTSO expects to complete all system tests and trial runs for the light rail link by Dec 31, the company said in a statement on Oct 2.

But taking into account the time required for third-party safety certification and approval by RTSO’s grantors, passenger service is currently estimated to start in February 2027, it said.

The line’s opening was previously targeted for the end of December 2026.

RTSO’s grantors – the authorities which grant it the right to operate – are Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) and Malaysia’s Ministry of Transport.

In a joint statement on Oct 2, the authorities said they had been informed by RTSO of its plans to start operations in February 2027.

Infrastructure works on the 4km link between Bukit Chagar station in Johor Bahru and Woodlands North station in Singapore are substantially complete and remain on track, the authorities said.

They added that the revised timeline remains subject to RTSO obtaining independent safety certification for the RTS Link and final regulatory approval.

Both authorities will continue to work with RTSO to facilitate the smooth and safe delivery of the project, they said.

RTSO is a joint venture between Singapore rail operator SMRT and Malaysian bus and rail operator Prasarana.

The line will carry up to 10,000 passengers an hour in each direction, and the journey is expected to take five minutes.

The authorities have in recent months announced milestones for the link’s completion.

In September, LTA announced the completion of the RTS Link’s Woodlands North station.

Earlier in August, Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke said all the station and rail infrastructure on the Malaysian side had been completed.

In a Facebook post on Oct 2, Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow said the plan was for safety certification and licensing to have been completed before the end of 2026, “but it was not to be”.

“We aim to start services before Hari Raya next year,” he said. Hari Raya Puasa falls on March 10, 2027.

Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke told The Straits Times that system integration is the cause of the RTS delay despite the physical infrastructure work remaining on schedule.

To manage the dispersal of RTS Link passengers in Johor Bahru, short-term traffic solutions have been planned, said Loke.

They include expanding the local bus fleet, creating a dedicated bus hub near Bukit Chagar station, and constructing pedestrian connection bridges for bus and rail commuters.

The Malaysian authorities are identifying a street next to Bukit Chagar station to convert into a bus hub which will be strictly closed to private vehicles.

They are also working on a dedicated link bridge to connect this hub to the RTS station, Loke added.

The project was first announced in 2010, and has seen several delays since then.

In 2017, both countries announced plans to start service by the end of 2024 and later signed an agreement in 2018 to build the rail line.

But in 2019, both countries agreed to suspend the project after it missed milestones.

It officially resumed in 2020, and the target date for service to start was pushed to the end of 2026.

Both countries’ Customs, immigration and quarantine facilities will be located in the same facility in each station.

This will allow passengers to undergo both departure and arrival immigration clearance before boarding the train, and no further immigration clearance is required upon disembarkation in the other country.

Both countries passed legislation in 2026 to enable these facilities.

Chinese trainmaker CRRC Zhuzhou builds the trains and German conglomerate Siemens supplies signalling and platform screen doors.

Impact of delay limited, inconvenience slight

Transport economist Walter Theseira said the delay’s impact is limited as it will not make congestion on the Causeway worse, even though the link is expected to ease the crossing when it opens.

“The Causeway is still overcrowded. Whether it opens on time or not, there is no difference,” he added.

Relieving congestion on the Causeway, one of the busiest land border crossings in the world, with about 300,000 making the journey daily, is a major reason for the RTS Link’s construction.

Theseira, an associate professor of economics at the Singapore University of Social Sciences, added that it is unlikely that transport operators have made plans based on the December opening date as the RTS Link fare is still uncertain.

This means they are likely waiting to see how it will eventually shift demand, he said.

For Malaysian Ricco Tiong, 36, the timing of the delay has disrupted some of his plans.

Tiong said he felt slightly frustrated that his plans to go home for Chinese New Year could be disrupted, given that the service is likely to start operations only after the festive season ends.

The Chinese New Year in 2027 is projected to fall in early February, meaning that the RTS Link may not be ready for the annual festival, which sees many Malaysians head home to spend time with family.

At present, Tiong lives in Singapore and visits his family in Johor Bahru once a week.

With the convenience offered by the RTS Link, the software product and development senior manager had initially planned to move back to JB and commute to his workplace in Singapore daily.

But for now, he will just take the bus, he said.

Malaysian Shawn Moo, 29, who lives in Johor Bahru, said news of the delay was quite expected. He added: “We’ve already waited a few years, so it’s okay to wait a couple more months.”

Moo, who works in human resources in Singapore, said he hopes the RTS Link would not be too expensive for cross-border workers and families who commute between two countries.

For others who cross the border only on occasion, news of the delay was less concerning.

Woodlands resident Diah Sawandi, 55, said she does not mind waiting a few more months for the RTS Link to start operations.

The dental assistant typically drives into Johor Bahru with her family once every two months for shopping and to grab meals there.

While she was looking forward to taking the RTS Link and potentially visiting Johor Bahru more often, she said a slight delay does not make a difference to her.