Sunway Group founder and chairman Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah.
PETALING JAYA: Sunway Group’s new RM2.6bil development, located adjacent to the Bukit Chagar Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link station in Johor Baru, will include a shopping mall, medical facility, high-rise residences, educational institutions and commercial spaces.
The 4.23-acre mixed development, undertaken by Sunway’s property arm in collaboration with MRT Corp, will also feature “a range of accommodations and meeting spaces for tourists and business travellers”, as well as a multi-storey car park for the RTS station. The car park will provide 1,550 parking spaces and 1,015 motorbike bays.
The project will be undertaken via a “Rail Plus Property” model, which aims for large-scale property rejuvenation alongside rail infrastructure development.
Construction of the Bukit Chagar integrated mixed-use development is scheduled to commence in March 2025.
The first phase of the multi-storey car park is targeted for public opening by Nov 30, 2026.
In a joint statement, Sunway and MRT Corp said the RM2.6bil project will be fully integrated and seamlessly linked with the newly built Immigration, Customs and Quarantine Complex, as well as the RTS station. The RTS station will directly link Johor Baru with Woodlands North Station in Singapore.
Sunway and MRT Corp signed a master agreement yesterday to kick-start the project, witnessed by Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook.
Loke said the Bukit Chagar integrated development is a key pillar of Malaysia’s broader strategy to enhance public transport connectivity, reduce congestion and drive urban transformation.
He commended MRT Corp’s innovative Rail Plus Property model, which ensures that investments in public transportation generate sustainable economic benefits.
By reducing reliance on government funding and unlocking new revenue streams, the model strengthens Malaysia’s infrastructure development strategy.
Meanwhile, MRT Corp chief executive officer Datuk Mohd Zarif Hashim said the integrated development represents a fundamental shift for the company.
“Through the Rail Plus Property model, we are optimising land use to create a sustainable, transit-oriented ecosystem that ensures the long-term sustainability of this development, while enhancing mobility.
“With the integration of residential, commercial, retail, hospitality and medical facilities in one development, we are ensuring thousands of Malaysian and Singaporean commuters using the RTS Link will have unparalleled access to essential services and conveniences, all in one place.”
Sunway Group founder and chairman Tan Sri Jeffrey Cheah expressed his optimism on the public-private partnership with MRT Corp in developing “one of the first Rail Plus Property projects” in Malaysia.
According to Cheah, the mixed-use development will serve as a catalyst for economic growth across the Greater Johor Baru area.
“This development solidifies Sunway’s presence at the First Link (Causeway) and the Second Link. It will also complement our Johor development portfolio alongside our 2,000-acre Sunway City Iskandar Puteri, which is a five-minute drive from the Second Link and modelled after Sunway City Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s first integrated, green and sustainable township.”
