JOHOR BARU: The delay in the opening of the Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link from here to Singapore to an unspecified day next February is mainly to ensure the system functions without any technical problems, says Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
He stressed that the project will be completed on schedule on Dec 31, but the commencement of commercial operations in February will only happen after final evaluation and technical approvals from the authorities of both countries.
“This includes final assessments from independent safety consultants and technical approvals from Malaysia’s Land Public Transport Agency and Singapore’s Land Transport Authority,” he said.
“Although it is slightly delayed, we believe this is a good decision to ensure the system runs smoothly.
“We do not want to rush without a comprehensive assessment which can result in technical problems,” he said during an event to mark the expansion of the stage bus service called BAS.MY here yesterday.
Asked whether there could be further delays, he expressed confidence there would not be, noting that the decision already included a “buffer” period.
Many regular commuters between Malaysia and Singapore were dismayed at last week’s announcement that the opening had been delayed to February in the face of consistent unilateral statements over the past year from the Malaysian Transport Ministry that the RTS will open on Jan 1.
Loke also stressed that the federal government was committed to addressing the traffic dispersal system in the city once the RTS begins operations via various initiatives ranging from short-term measures to long-term initiatives.
“In the short term, we will immediately expand the BAS.MY stage bus fleet by 230 new buses.
“The government has agreed to carry on with the Stage Bus Service Transformation (SBST) programme for the next five years and a substantial sum was expected to be spent on the services,” he said, adding that when the project was launched four years ago, the number of trips was about 450,000 per day.
He added that it has increased to 1.06 million trips in Dec 2025, while Jan 2026 recorded the highest number of trips with 1.28 million.
“The SBST programme in Johor is the highest among all the programmes which have been implemented in major cities in the country, including in Sabah and Sarawak,” he said, adding that with the added buses, the waiting time would be reduced from 30 minutes presently to about 15 minutes.
He added that the operator will also need to look into having shuttle services and also develop Jalan Jim Quee as a new bus hub.
Loke also said that there will also be pedestrian walkways along Jalan Jim Quee to the RTS station, along with another walkway from the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar CIQ complex.
“We are also spending RM60mil for another direct access for KTM commuter passengers to walk directly to the RTS station without having to exit JB Sentral,” he said.
Loke stressed that in the long term, the city will introduce an Elevated Autonomous Rapid Transit system to further enhance public transport connectivity.
