AECOM’s specialist metro team in Malaysia is working with local and overseas partners to provide architectural and engineering consultancy services for a new rail link to Singapore that will ease congestion and air pollution at one of the world’s busiest border crossings.
The Johor Bahru–Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS Link) is a rail link that will connect Malaysia to Singapore via a crossing of the Strait of Johor. It is only the second rail link between the two countries and is expected to eventually replace the existing diesel-hauled KTM Intercity Shuttle Tebrau.
The RTS Link will have the capacity to serve up to 10,000 commuters per hour in each direction during peak periods, and is expected to ease traffic congestion and related air pollution on the Johor-Singapore Causeway. The rail link will also enhance further the connectivity between the two countries, fostering stronger ties and generating shared economic and social benefits.
Cross-border partnerships
The project is a collaboration between AECOM’s specialist metro team in Malaysia and our Singapore office, highlighting the benefits of close knowledge sharing between the two teams on a complex cross-border project. Our team has also played a key role as an interface between the two main stakeholders — the respective governments of Malaysia and Singapore.
AECOM began work on Phase 1 (Engineering Study) of the project in 2012 and commenced Phase 2 (Detailed Engineering Design and Construction Stage Support) in 2016. A further project optimization was carried out in early 2020 under Phase 3 with the subsequent works being carried out through Phase 4.
The completed RTS Link will be a railway shuttle link with double tracks of approximately 4 kilometers in length serving two stations — Bukit Chagarin Johor Bahru in Malaysia and Woodlands North in Singapore — with a travel time of roughly five minutes. Construction began on the Malaysia section in late 2020 and the project is set to be completed by the end of 2026.