Xinhua
30 Jul 2020, 18:48 GMT+10
SINGAPORE, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Singapore and Malaysia held a joint ceremony Thursday to resume work on the cross-border Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link between Woodlands and Johor Baru.
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin witnessed the ceremony, held at the international boundary line on the Causeway due to the travel restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The cross-border link's capacity remains at 10,000 passengers per hour in each direction between Johor's Bukit Chagar terminus station and the Singapore terminus in Woodlands North, said a joint statement issued by both countries. The expected operation date for the cross-border project will be the end of 2026, instead of the end of 2024.
The 4-km link will now be a standalone light rail transit (LRT) system, instead of using the same trains and systems as Singapore's Thomson-East Coast MRT Line.
The RTS Link will continue to feature co-location of customs, immigration and quarantine facilities, so passengers have to clear immigration only once, at the point of departure, according to the statement.
Both countries signed an agreement to build the link in January 2018. Several postponements were made later.
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, said the statement.
"When completed, the RTS Link will ease Causeway congestion, improve connectivity, foster people-to-people ties and generate shared economic and social benefits," it added.
Local media reported that before the coronavirus pandemic, over 300,000 people crossed the 1-km Causeway bridge every day, including about 100,000 Malaysians who commuted daily between Singapore and Malaysia.
Get a daily dose of Singapore Star news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Singapore Star.
More InformationMADRID, Spain: Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota and his younger brother, André Silva, have died in a car accident in Spain. Spanish...
LONDON, U.K.: An unrelenting heatwave sweeping across Europe has pushed early summer temperatures to historic highs, triggering deadly...
President Donald Trump's plans to build a space-based Golden Dome missile defense shield have drawn immediate criticism from China,...
NEW YORK CITY, New York: Paramount has agreed to pay US$16 million to settle a lawsuit brought by U.S. President Donald Trump over...
LONDON, U.K.: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer won a vote in Parliament this week to move ahead with changes to the country's welfare...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday. President...
FRANKLIN, Tennessee: Hundreds of thousands of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles are being recalled across the United States due to a potential...
REDMOND, Washington: Microsoft is the latest tech giant to announce significant job cuts, as the financial strain of building next-generation...
LONDON UK - U.S. stock markets were closed on Friday for Independence Day. Global Forex Markets Wrap Up Friday with Greeback Comeback...
SANTA CLARA, California: Nvidia came within a whisker of making financial history on July 3, briefly surpassing Apple's all-time market...
SACRAMENTO, California: California's multibillion-dollar farms are facing a growing crisis—not from drought or pests, but from a sudden...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump says the United States could soon reach a trade deal with India. He believes this deal would...