JB-Singapore RTS Link: First look at Bukit Chagar station, and Malaysia’s 25-minute target for commuters

KUALA LUMPUR, 18 AUGUST 2026 —

Malaysia, Singapore Unveil High-Tech Bukit Chagar RTS Station Ahead of 2027 Launch

The station, billed as Malaysia’s most modern, will feature air-conditioned concourses, high-tech security screening, and direct pedestrian links to nearby malls. The 4km RTS Link aims to ease congestion on the Causeway, one of the world’s busiest border crossings, by transporting up to 10,000 passengers per hour in each direction.

Malaysia’s Mass Rapid Transit Corporation (MRT Corp), the developer of the Malaysian section, and RTS Operations (RTSO), the joint venture operating the service, conducted a media tour of the station. MRT Corp’s RTS Link project director, Zulkifli Mohamed, said the target is for passengers to clear ticketing, security, and immigration checks within 25 minutes, with the possibility of reducing it to 20 minutes if processes are streamlined.

Passengers will begin their journey on the ground floor, where they can purchase tickets from machines before proceeding through a gantry. They will then take an escalator to the first floor for security screening, which will include 18 luggage scanners and nine body scanners supplied by German firm Rohde & Schwarz. The scanners use ultra-low-power millimetre-wave technology and AI to detect concealed objects, flagging suspicious items for security officers within seconds.

After security, passengers will proceed to Malaysian immigration, which will feature about two dozen electronic gates and manual counters. Users of the MyNIISe app can clear immigration in as little as seven seconds. They will then move to the second floor for Singapore immigration before reaching the third level, where trains bound for Woodlands North in Singapore will depart.

The station will also house a joint monitoring room for Malaysian and Singaporean officials to coordinate responses to security incidents. RTSO chief executive Ahmad Marzuki Ariffin highlighted the dual operations control centres—one in Bukit Chagar and another in Woodlands North—designed to resolve issues quickly.

A 409-metre pedestrian linkway will connect Bukit Chagar to nearby malls, including KOMTAR JBCC and Johor Bahru City Square, as well as JB Sentral, where passengers can transfer to Malaysia’s Electric Train Service (ETS) for destinations such as Kuala Lumpur and Penang. MRT Corp’s Zulkifli said the linkway is designed to disperse passenger traffic and provide seamless connections to other transport modes, with capacity to handle 10,000 passengers at any one time.

The RTS Link is expected to significantly reduce travel time between Johor Bahru and Singapore, with the rail journey itself taking about five minutes. The project is part of broader efforts to alleviate congestion on the Causeway, which sees heavy traffic daily. While the station’s advanced facilities aim to enhance efficiency, authorities have not yet confirmed whether the 25-minute target will be achievable at launch.

Details not yet available on ticket pricing, train frequency, or final operational readiness. The project remains on track for its January 2027 inauguration, pending final regulatory approvals.

Related: Kuala Lumpur