Don’t kill off KTMB Shuttle Tebrau service, say commuters

JOHOR BARU: Frequent users of the KTMB Shuttle Tebrau train, which was introduced in 2015, want the service to continue even after the completion of the Johor Baru-Singapore Rapid Transit System Link (RTS Link) project.

Singaporean civil servant G. Mona, 46, said the train service has brought great comfort to her and her family as they enjoy spending their holidays here.

“I travel to Johor from time to time for shopping and short vacations with my family. We prefer taking the train, as it takes only about five minutes to get from Woodlands (in Singapore) to Johor Baru without facing the congestion at the Causeway.

“I think it’s better to let the service continue running even after the RTS-Link is up, as we will then have more travel options between both countries,” she said.

The only problem now is getting the train tickets, which sell out very quickly, said Mona.

“Usually, I’ll buy the tickets a few weeks in advance.”

Meanwhile, a Malaysian working in Singapore, Adeline Lum, 34, said she expected the price of the Tebrau Shuttle tickets to be cheaper than those for the RTS-Link.

“I take the train almost every weekend to return to Johor on my days off. Since the tickets are often sold out early, I will need to buy them at least a week in advance.

“It costs me only RM5 to travel from Johor Baru to Singapore, and S$5 (RM17.30) from Singapore to Johor Baru,” she said.

Since its inception eight years ago, the KTMB Shuttle Tebrau train service has been halted once – for more than two years during the Covid-19 pandemic. It resumed on June 19 last year.

On Oct 26, Transport Minister Anthony Loke told Parliament that Malaysia would discuss the continuation of the service with Singapore.

He said that under a previous bilateral agreement between the two countries, one of the conditions was to cease the operation of the KTMB Shuttle Tebrau service six months after the completion of the RTS Link project.

The RTS Link is a 4km shuttle service between Singapore at Woodlands North station and Johor Baru at Bukit Chagar station.

With a capacity of 10,000 passengers per hour each way, the transit system is set to provide easy and comfortable travels between Johor Baru and Singapore in just five minutes.

In July, Johor works, transportation and infrastructure committee chairman Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh said the RTS Link had reached a 41% construction level and was on track to be completed by the end of 2026.