Singapore denies delaying progress on RTS project
The Ministry of Transport (MOT) has refuted Malaysian media reports quoting Johor State Executive Committee Member for Public Works, Rural and Regional Development Datuk Ir. Haji Hasni bin Haji Mohammad as saying that Singapore is holding back on deciding the alignment for the Rapid Transit System (RTS) link.
The suggestion that Singapore has been delaying progress on the RTS link is incorrect. Singapore informed Malaysia in June 2011 that the RTS terminus in Singapore would be located at Woodlands North near Republic Polytechnic. However, to date, Singapore has not received official confirmation of the location of Malaysias RTS terminus in Johor Bahru, said an MOT spokesman.
At the recent Malaysia-Singapore Joint Ministerial Committee for Iskandar Malaysia meeting on 6 February, both countries agreed that the second phase of the Joint Engineering Study on the RTS link would begin after the terminus location in Johor Bahru was confirmed by Malaysia.
The Ministry noted that the Johor state government was represented at the meeting.
We look forward to official confirmation from the Malaysian government on the location of the RTS terminus in Johor Bahru. Singapore remains committed to working closely with Malaysia on the RTS link, which will provide a boost to cross-border connectivity, added the spokesman.
The Singapore end of the RTS link will be linked to Woodlands North MRT station on the upcoming Thomson-East Coast MRT Line. The entire project is targeted for completion by 2019.
Image: Map of Singapore-Johor Bahru RTS link. (Source: Seloloving; Wikimedia Commons)
Romesh Navaratnarajah, Singapore Editor at PropertyGuru, wrote this story. To contact him about this or other stories email romesh@propertyguru.com.sg
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