{"data":{"news":{"items":[{"title":"LTA awards first civil contract for JB-Singapore RTS Link project","date":"2020-11-26 16:30:38","id":2557,"author":"","blurb":"","blurb_image_uid":"https://dxfpracgmlczp.cloudfront.net/2020/11/1606379031488_RTSLink-1.jpg","blurb_expanded_image_uid":null,"article":"\n\t\n\n\n

Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) has awarded the first of two civil contracts for the construction of Johor Bahru – Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link to Penta-Ocean Construction Co Ltd, totalling S$932.8 million. It covers the construction of the RTS Link Woodlands North station, tunnels and the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) building in Singapore.

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Penta-Ocean Construction has wide-ranging experience in infrastructure and building projects in Singapore. The company is currently constructing the Bright Hill and Orchard stations on the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL), and had previously worked on the TEL Woodlands North station as well as the Downtown Line’s Bendemeer station.

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Construction of the RTS Link is expected to commence in the first quarter of 2021 and passenger service is expected to commence in end 2026. LTA said the second civil contract for this project, which includes the construction of the RTS Link viaduct, will be awarded in the first quarter of 2021.

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The RTS Link is a rail shuttle service between the Singapore terminus at Woodlands North station and the Malaysia terminus at Bukit Chagar station in Johor Bahru. It will support a peak capacity of 10,000 passengers per hour in each direction.

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To facilitate a seamless travelling experience, the CIQ facilities will be conveniently co-located at Woodlands North and Bukit Chagar stations. Passengers will only be required to clear both Singapore and Malaysia immigration authorities once at the point of departure.

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Upon arrival in Singapore, passengers can continue their journey by transferring to the TEL Woodlands North station. When operations commence, the RTS Link will further improve connectivity between Singapore and Johor Bahru and help ease congestion along the Causeway.

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Images: LTA

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Construction of the Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link project between Johor Bahru, Malaysia and Singapore has commenced, announced Mass Rapid Transit Corporation Sdn Bhd (MRT Corp). The groundbreaking ceremony was held yesterday (22 November) at the site of the future Immigration, Customs and Quarantine (ICQ) building in Bukit Chagar, Johor Bahru. The event was officiated by the Sultan of Johor, Sultan Ibrahim Ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar, virtually from Istana Bukit Serene.

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The RTS Link between Malaysia and Singapore will be a railway service with two stations, one at Bukit Chagar in Johor Bahru, and the other at Woodlands North in Singapore. The link is targeted to begin operations by the end of 2026 and will provide an easy and efficient border crossing between the two countries.

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At Bukit Chagar, the groundbreaking event was witnessed by chairman of Malaysia Rapid Transit System (MRTS) Sdn Bhd, Datuk Isham Ishak, who is also secretary-general of the Transport Ministry; CEO of MRT Corp, Datuk Mohd Zarif Hashim; and project director of RTS Link, Ir Zulkifli Mohamed.

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MRTS is a wholly-owned subsidiary of MRT Corp and was appointed as the Malaysian infrastructure company (InfraCo) of the RTS project. Its role is to develop and own the Malaysian infrastructure of the RTS Link.

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In his welcome speech, Mr Hashim said RTS Link will be the catalyst that will transform Johor Bahru into a modern sustainable city. “Public transport which is smart and efficient will help boost economic activities and elevated Johor Bahru’s status as a focal point for the best human capital in the region.”

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He highlighted that the RTS Link will be the first light rail transit system to be built in Johor Bahru, a major gateway into the southern part of Peninsula Malaysia. In view of this, it was important for the project to be implemented according to schedule and international standards.

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Mr Hashim further explained that Malaysia’s portion of the cost of developing the RTS Link project was RM3.7 billion, which included the construction of a station at Bukit Chagar, depot at Wadi Hana, viaducts through the city centre of Johor Bahru and over the Straits of Johor to the Malaysian-Singapore boundary.

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The cost also included the construction of a four-storey ICQ complex at Bukit Chagar. This facility will be part of a transit-oriented development that will feature a multimodal transport hub and mixed property development.

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Mr Hashim added that Adil Permata Sdn Bhd, which is the developer of these property developments, has been appointed as contractor to carry out advance works such as site clearing, utility relocation works, and others.

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“Forty percent of the total infrastructure construction cost will be allocated to Bumiputera contractors, including those from Grade 1 to Grade 6 from Johor.

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“With the depot for the RTS Link now located in Wadi Hana, there will be many opportunities for local businesses to be involved in the maintenance, repair and overhaul supply chain and in building local expertise in the rail technology industry.”

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Also witnessing the groundbreaking ceremony at Istana Bukit Serene were Tunku Mahkota Johor, Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim; Johor Menteri Besar, Datuk Haji Hasni Bin Mohammad; and Johor state secretary, Dato’ Haji Azmi Bin Rohani. Minister of Transport, Datuk Seri Ir. Wee Ka Siong participated in the event via Zoom video conferencing from the Ministry in Putrajaya.

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According to MRT Corp, approximately 200 guests joined to celebrate this historic event from different locations in Johor Bahru, Putrajaya and other parts of Malaysia. Click here to view more images on the Facebook page of Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar.

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Image: Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar/Facebook

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Singapore and Malaysia held a bilateral ceremony today (30 July) to mark the official resumption of the Johor Bahru – Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link project. Due to Covid-19 travel restrictions, the event took place at the Causeway (Singapore-Malaysia border crossing).

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The RTS Link project has been suspended since 1 April 2019 at Malaysia’s request, to allow some time for the country to review the project. Both sides have discussed and agreed on some key changes to the project, according to the joint statement by Singapore and Malaysia.

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First, the RTS Link will be a standalone Light Rail Transit (LRT) system, instead of leveraging Singapore’s Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system. The RTS Link’s capacity remains unchanged at up to 10,000 passengers per hour each way.
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\nAlso, the RTS Link will no longer use the existing TEL Mandai Depot in Singapore. For this, a new depot will be constructed in Wadi Hana, Johor Bahru.
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\nIn addition, each government separately appointed an infrastructure company (InfraCo) to fund, build, own, maintain and renew the civil infrastructure and stations in its territory up to the international boundary. Malaysia has changed its InfraCo from Prasarana Malaysia Berhad to Malaysia Rapid Transit System Sdn Bhd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mass Rapid Transit Corporation Sdn Bhd. The Land Transport Authority of Singapore remains as Singapore’s InfraCo.
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\nLastly, arising from the suspension of the project and the above changes, the targeted passenger service commencement date will be deferred from end 2024 to end 2026.
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\nThe joint statement further mentioned, “The RTS Link will continue to feature co-location of customs, immigration and quarantine (CIQ) facilities, so that passengers undergo CIQ clearance only once at their point of departure. Both countries have reaffirmed their commitment to ensuring that the RTS Link stations will be well integrated with the local transport networks in each country. The fare levels will continue to be set by the operating company (OpCo), and will be determined closer to the date of passenger service commencement.”

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The RTS Link is set to be built in two phases, as reported by Channel News Asia (CNA), citing a statement from Malaysia’s Minister of Transport, Wee Ka Siong. “The development and civil phase will take place from 2021 to end of 2024, while the commissioning and testing phase will take place from 2025 until the end of 2026,” said CNA.

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Three key agreements to resume the project have also been concluded, added the joint statement. These include: an agreement to amend the RTS Link Bilateral Agreement between the governments of Singapore and Malaysia; a joint venture agreement between Singapore’s SMRT RTS Pte Ltd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SMRT Corporation Limited, and Malaysia’s Prasarana RTS Operations Sdn Bhd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Prasarana Malaysia Berhad, to constitute RTS Operations Pte Ltd; and a concession agreement for the government of Malaysia and the Land Transport Authority of Singapore to appoint RTS Operations Pte Ltd as the OpCo for the first 30-year concession period.
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\n“Today’s event marks the culmination of several months of hard work, during which officials on both sides worked closely to find a common way forward on this project, despite the challenges faced during the unprecedented Covid-19 pandemic,” said the joint statement. “The successful resumption of the RTS Link project underscores the deep and enduring bilateral relationship between both countries, and the collective desire to strengthen our win-win partnership. When completed, the RTS Link will ease Causeway congestion, improve connectivity, foster people-to-people ties and generate shared economic and social benefits.”

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The photos are screenshots taken from the video of the ceremony, which was broadcast live on PM Lee’s Facebook page.

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Malaysia’s Land Public Transport Commission and Singapore’s Land Transport Authority have signed a bilateral agreement on the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System Link (RTS Link) project, which is targeted to commence by December 2024.

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Malaysia’s Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) and Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) have announced the signing of a bilateral agreement on the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System Link (RTS Link) project. The key points of the agreement include the technical, safety and security requirements; commercial, financing, procurement and regulatory frameworks; and customs, immigration and quarantine arrangements.

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The RTS Link will have the capacity to carry up to 10,000 passengers per hour per direction, which translates to additional capacity of 60,000 users crossing the Causeway during peak hours. To facilitate passenger flow, there will be 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.

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The RTS Link passenger service is targeted to commence by December 2024. It will cross the Straits of Johor via a 25m-high bridge, linking the Bukit Chagar Station in Johor Bahru to the RTS Link Woodlands North Station in Singapore.

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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.

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Both governments will jointly appoint an operating company (OpCo) to own, design, build, finance, operate, maintain and renew the RTS Link’s operating assets (e.g. 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.

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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. These companies are Prasarana from Malaysia and SMRT from Singapore. They have committed to incorporate the JV by 30 June 2018, and to sign the concession agreement by 30 September 2018. Subsequent concessions will be awarded through open tender.

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