About two-thirds of civil infrastructure works on the Singapore side of the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link have been completed, with passenger service slated to start by December 2026.
On the Malaysian side, the project has reached 65 per cent completion as at Dec 31, 2023.
In a joint statement, the transport ministries of both countries said a significant construction milestone was reached at the end of December 2023, with the completion of a 17.1m-long concrete span connecting the Singapore and Malaysian ends of a rail viaduct that will run across the Strait of Johor.
On Jan 11, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim met at the strait in a ceremony to commemorate the milestone.
The two leaders signed plaques symbolising the shared commitment of both countries to deliver the cross-border rail link, which was delayed and suspended for six months at one point, before new terms were agreed and the project resumed.
PM Lee later wrote on Facebook that the span “bridges our two piers, and brings our friendship and bilateral ties closer”.
He noted that he and Datuk Seri Anwar had emphasised win-win cooperation when they last met in Singapore at the Singapore-Malaysia Leaders’ Retreat in October 2023.
“As we approach the 60th anniversary of bilateral relations next year, I look forward to both countries charting new areas of cooperation, including in trade and investment, tourism, innovation, and the digital and green economies.”
The transport ministries said passenger service for the RTS Link is targeted to start by December 2026.
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