JOHOR BAHRU, April 3 — The global energy crisis is not affecting the progress and cost of the entire Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link project, which also includes the construction of the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex and the Bukit Chagar Station.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said that the physical work for the station and complex project is currently in the final phase of completion and is expected to begin full operation early next year, as scheduled.
“Right now, it is the system installation phase. So it does not involve much in terms of fuel costs and so on. So I am confident that it will not affect this project.
“So far, I have not been given anything or requests from the contractor regarding the cost increase for this project. So I am confident that this cost can still be controlled according to the original cost,” he said.
Loke was speaking to the press after visiting the RTS Link and ICQ Complex projects as well as the RTS Bukit Chagar Station today, which was also attended by MRT Corp chief executive officer Datuk Mohd Zarif Hashim.
He added that the RTS Link is now entering a very important and critical phase: testing and commissioning, including system installation, acceptance testing, integration and dynamic testing, which will lead to the Final Field Readiness (FFR) stage expected this September.
Regarding traffic dispersal in the city after the RTS Link begins operations, Loke said the government plans to connect all ramp routes to Bukit Chagar station, which is expected to be completed by May, and to provide four drop-off locations for passenger convenience.
The station will also be integrated with JB Sentral via a pedestrian walkway to facilitate KTM Komuter passengers.
Stage bus services such as BAS.MY will also be expanded, besides efforts to create a connecting bus hub near the station to help passengers travel to other areas in Johor Bahru.
“We will identify a suitable location to be used as a connecting bus hub between JB Sentral and Bukit Chagar Station. This intermediary bus is important to help RTS users move to other areas in Johor Bahru,” he said.
Meanwhile, so far, the installation of e-gates at the ICQ Complex has been fully completed, while the installation work of body screening equipment and baggage scanners has begun, two months earlier than the original target of May 2026.
“There are 10 security screening lanes, 18-unit baggage scanners, as well as 100 e-gate routes, including a special route for passengers without baggage, and all have been installed,” Loke said.
The minister will also head to Singapore at the end of this month to discuss the project's progress report with his counterpart, and to visit the Woodlands North Station in the island republic.
“This is to ensure that both parties have the best integration, and I am sure the Singaporean side also wants to see this project completed on schedule and be able to open by January 2027,” he said.
The RTS Link project, which is expected to operate in January 2027, is capable of carrying 10,000 passengers per hour in each direction by connecting Bukit Chagar in Johor and Woodlands North in Singapore in five minutes.
