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Details agreed for Malaysia-Singapore rapid transit link

16 Jan 18 The governments of Singapore and Malaysia have signed an agreement covering joint aspects of the planned rapid transit line linking the two countries.

Malaysia’s Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) and Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) have welcomed the signing of the bilateral agreement on the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) link.

The agreement is the outcome of extensive discussions led by officials from SPAD and LTA. It captures the key points of agreement on the RTS link project, including the technical, safety and security requirements, commercial, financing, procurement and regulatory frameworks, as well as customs, immigration and quarantine arrangements.

The RTS link will have the capacity to carry up to 10,000 passengers per hour per direction. The original intention had been for it to be operational by this year (link opens in new tab).

The two countries are also developing a high-speed railway.

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To facilitate passenger flow, it will have co-located custom, immigration and quarantine (CIQ) facilities in both Bukit Chagar and Woodlands North. Passengers travelling in either direction will clear both Malaysia and Singapore authorities at the point of departure, and need not go through immigration clearance again at the point of arrival.

The RTS Link will cross the Straits of Johor via a 25m-high bridge. For economies of scale, the RTS Link will utilise the same four core systems (trains, signalling system, communications system, and integrated supervisory control system) as Singapore’s upcoming Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL).

Each country will appoint an Infrastructure Company (InfraCo) to fund, build, own, maintain, and renew the civil infrastructure and stations within their respective territories. Malaysia’s InfraCo will be Prasarana Malaysia Berhad, while Singapore’s InfraCo will be LTA. Both Governments will jointly appoint an operating company to own, design, build, finance, operate, maintain and renew the RTS Link’s operating assets such as trains, tracks, systems. The OpCo will pay a concession fee to the two countries in exchange for the right to collect fare revenue from operating the RTS link. Fares will be set commercially by the OpCo, and will not be regulated by the two Governments.

Both governments agree that for the first concession period, which will cover the first 30 years of operations, the OpCo will be a joint venture between a Malaysian company and a Singaporean company.

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