JOHOR BARU: Prime Ministers Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Lee Hsien Loong came together to celebrate the connection of the Johor Baru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link's span.
At the RTS Link project site in the Straits of Johor, the leaders officiated the 17.1-meter-long reinforced concrete connecting span.
This pivotal structure links the RTS Link marine viaduct from Malaysia's Pier 47 to Singapore's Pier 48.
The impressive connecting span, weighing approximately 340 tonnes, was meticulously constructed using steel support structures, soaring more than 26 meters above sea level.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the bilateral government-to-government project involving Malaysia and Singapore's railway infrastructure construction is progressing as scheduled towards the December 2024 completion target.
The construction work on the Malaysian side has surpassed its target by reaching a 65 per cent completion rate since the end of last year.
The next phase involving installing the system works will be seeing their Singapore counterparts installing the required networks for the RTS Link rail operation.
Loke also said consideration for a third mode of transportation to connect Johor to the republic via sea using ferries is among other options that will be discussed between the two nations if the need arises in the near future.
Singapore Acting Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat said the RTS Operations Pte Ltd will install the systems in the next phase.
He added that all the 12 pile caps, which form the foundation for the piers supporting the 730-metre RTS Link marine and land viaduct on the Singapore side, have been completed, while construction of the piers and the launch of the viaduct segments are ongoing.
The RTS Link project is a 4KM rail shuttle service between Bukit Chagar and the republic's Woodlands North station.
At its peak capacity of 10,000 passengers per hour in each direction, it will take about five minutes between the two stations.
About 350,000 people cross the Johor Causeway, which is the world's busiest on a daily basis.
To shorten travelling time and congestion, the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine facilities will be collated at the Bukit Chagar and Woodlands North stations, allowing passengers to clear immigration at their respective departure points.