JOHOR BAHRU, Aug. 18, 2026 — The long-awaited Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link is entering its final stretch, but Malaysia now faces a critical question: Will Johor’s transport network be ready to absorb the thousands of commuters expected to arrive when the cross-border rail service opens?
Malaysia Transport Minister Anthony Loke said Tuesday that the physical infrastructure at the Bukit Chagar RTS station and its Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex is essentially complete, with the project now in the final testing and commissioning phase.
But while the RTS Link is moving toward its early-2027 opening, one major piece of Johor’s wider transport puzzle is still being worked out — the proposed elevated Autonomous Rapid Transit, or e-ART, system intended to help distribute passengers beyond the RTS station.
Loke said the government is still working on the concession agreement for the e-ART project.
That creates an important distinction: the RTS Link itself may be approaching operational readiness, but the supporting public transport network around Johor Bahru is still catching up.
THE RTS LINK IS READYING FOR THE FINAL TEST
The 4km RTS Link will connect Bukit Chagar in Johor Bahru with Woodlands North in Singapore, with a journey time of approximately five minutes.
The system is designed to carry up to 10,000 passengers per hour in each direction, with projected daily ridership of around 40,000 once operations begin.
Loke said the station and CIQ facilities at Bukit Chagar are essentially complete and that testing and commissioning are now the critical steps before passenger service begins.
The exact opening date and official fare structure, however, have yet to be jointly announced by Malaysia and Singapore.
Earlier this year, The Star reported that Loke expected physical works at Bukit Chagar to be nearly complete and said the project was entering system installation, acceptance testing, integration and dynamic testing.
A major testing milestone followed in April, when the RTS operator successfully conducted high-speed trials involving multiple trains simultaneously.
THE BIG CHANGE: BUKIT CHAGAR WILL NOT STAND ALONE
One of the most significant announcements from Loke’s latest site visit is a new pedestrian connection designed to link the RTS station more directly with the existing KTM railway network near JB Sentral.
The new link will branch from the approximately 450-metre covered pedestrian bridge connecting Bukit Chagar with JB Sentral.
The Malaysian government estimates the additional KTM connection will cost about RM60 million and take approximately 12 months to construct.
The objective is straightforward: passengers arriving by KTM Komuter should be able to transfer to the RTS without having to make the longer walk through JB Sentral before doubling back toward the RTS connection.
That could prove crucial for commuters travelling from other parts of Johor who want to continue onward to Singapore.
The Bukit Chagar area is also being connected to buses, taxis, JB Sentral and nearby commercial facilities, including KOMTAR JBCC.
Loke described the approach as an effort to integrate several forms of public transport around the RTS station and improve traffic dispersal.
BUT HERE IS THE PROBLEM JOHOR CANNOT IGNORE
The RTS Link is designed to move people rapidly across the Causeway.
But once those passengers reach Johor Bahru, they still need to get somewhere.
That is where Johor’s wider transport strategy becomes crucial.
The proposed e-ART system is intended to help handle increased passenger movements around Johor Bahru after the RTS opens. However, Loke said the government is still working on the concession agreement.
Johor Chief Minister Onn Hafiz Ghazi has previously pushed for the federal government to accelerate the project, warning that interim measures involving buses, taxis, e-hailing services and park-and-ride facilities may not be enough to handle the expected increase in passenger movement.
CNA has previously reported concerns that uncertainty over Johor Bahru’s broader rail and public transport plans could create new bottlenecks even as the RTS reduces pressure on the Causeway itself.
In other words, the RTS could solve one congestion problem while exposing another if the last-mile network is not ready.
THE SINGAPORE SIDE IS ALSO BEING BUILT FOR A DIFFERENT KIND OF COMMUTER
Singapore and Malaysia are not simply building a railway between two stations.
The RTS is being designed as a cross-border transport system with co-located customs, immigration and quarantine facilities at both Woodlands North and Bukit Chagar.
Under this arrangement, travellers will clear immigration at their point of departure rather than going through a second immigration clearance after arriving at the other station.
Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs introduced legislation in April 2026 to support the operationalisation of the RTS and the co-location of border-control facilities.
The Singapore government says the system is expected to provide a train journey of about five minutes and accommodate up to 10,000 commuters per hour in each direction.
That means the RTS is not merely another train service.
It represents a major change in how people will move between Johor and Singapore.
WHAT WILL IT COST?
The fare is another major question commuters are watching.
Loke previously said one-way fares could be around S$5 to S$7, although the final price has not yet been confirmed.
Malay Mail reported in April that the proposed fare structure would have to be submitted to the Malaysian and Singaporean governments for approval before being announced.
Because the RTS is an international service, Loke has also indicated that fares and any season-pass arrangement must be commercially sustainable rather than relying on the type of subsidies used for many domestic public transport services.
So for thousands of daily cross-border workers, the eventual calculation will not simply be about speed.
It will be about fare + immigration time + access to the station + last-mile transport + reliability.
THE RTS HAS BEEN YEARS IN THE MAKING
The project has had a complicated history.
Malaysia and Singapore signed the bilateral agreement for the RTS Link in 2018, with the project subsequently undergoing changes and delays before officially resuming in 2020.
The original timetable targeted an earlier completion date, but the service has since moved toward a late-2026/early-2027 launch window.
By January 2026, Malay Mail reported that most physical works were complete and that the project had entered systems installation and testing. The report also noted that the co-located CIQ arrangements were legally important to making the system operational.
The project is now much closer to reality than it was even a year ago.
The first RTS train was unveiled in 2025, while system installation and testing progressed steadily. Singapore and Malaysia have also been preparing the infrastructure and regulatory framework required for cross-border operations.
THE BIGGER STORY IS NOT JUST THE TRAIN
For Singapore, the RTS Link could provide a faster alternative to the heavily congested Causeway.
For Johor, however, the stakes may be even larger.
The RTS is closely tied to the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone, where improved connectivity is expected to support business, investment, employment and cross-border movement.
The Star previously reported that Loke described the RTS as a crucial component of the economic zone, arguing that the project’s importance goes beyond simply transporting commuters between two cities.
But the success of that vision may ultimately depend on what happens after passengers step off the train.
A five-minute cross-border journey is impressive.
A five-minute journey followed by a long wait for a bus, taxi or connecting train is another story.
That is why Johor’s next challenge is not building the RTS Link.
It is making sure the city around Bukit Chagar is ready when the doors finally open.
And with the e-ART concession still being worked out, the biggest question surrounding Johor’s transport revolution may no longer be when will the RTS arrive?
It may be:
When the RTS brings the crowds, will Johor be ready for them?
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