SINGAPORE, May 5 — The Singaporean Parliament has passed a new law that outlines the principles and powers for managing cross-border incidents involving the upcoming Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS Link).
The Cross-Border Railways (Border Control Co-Location) Bill, which supports the operationalisation of the RTS Link, was passed after the third reading by Second Minister for Home Affairs Edwin Tong.
The bill will enable Malaysia’s Customs, Immigration, and Quarantine (CIQ) operations in Singapore, as well as Singapore’s CIQ operations in Malaysia.
He said the bill comprises key principles on which Singapore and Malaysia have agreed for managing cross-border incidents on the RTS Link.
If the RTS Link completes its journey, any incident on board will be managed by the authorities of the country where the train stops. Additionally, if a train stalls and cannot complete its journey, the country in whose territory it is located will manage the incident.
"If a train stalls at the stretch of railway tracks located between the respective administrative boundary markers of both countries, represented by Pier 47 for Malaysia and Pier 48 for Singapore, both countries have agreed to use the nose of the train as the marker to determine the country with primary responsibility to manage the incident.
"The country with primary responsibility will be the incident manager in this case, and will have command and control over incident management," Tong said during the second reading of the bill today.
Meanwhile, in his winding-up speech, he said the bill will enable a seamless travel experience for commuters at the co-located CIQ checkpoints at Bukit Chagar and Woodlands North stations.
It also operationalises a comprehensive set of arrangements to facilitate CIQ clearance and underpins jointly developed protocols for the coordinated management of cross-border incidents.
"Ultimately, the aim is to provide a travel experience that is smooth and seamless, but at the same time, strictly without compromising on safety and security, especially at our border controls.
"This will in turn help ensure that the RTS Link experience for travellers is not only convenient, safe and seamless, but also safe and secure," Tong said.
In February, the Malaysian Parliament passed the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System Link Bill 2026 to strengthen the legal framework for cross-border transport operations between the two countries.
