JOHOR BAHRU: The construction of the Johor Baru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link is expected to have a positive impact on both the retail and public transportation sectors in Johor.
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Faculty of Built Environment and Surveying deputy dean (Research, Innovation and Development), Prof Dr Muhammad Zaly Shah Muhammad Hussein (pix) said the positive spillover is expected to come mainly from the influx of tourists from Singapore, who opt to use the RTS to cross the Strait of Johor.
“We can see that in the city centre and around the RTS construction area, there are already commercial development, retail and shopping centres, which will benefit the most from the RTS.
“This is the effect of the overflow of visitors or tourists from Singapore to Johor Bahru. Indirectly, the public transport sector in this city will also benefit from the improvement of the public transport system in the state,” he told Bernama in an interview recently.
Muhammad Zaly, who is also the Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport Malaysia president, said that the public transport sector in Johor needs to be improved with quality service levels while ensuring continuity of the transport network with the RTS.
He said it is important to attract visitors from Singapore who choose to use the RTS through the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex at the Sultan Iskandar Building (BSI) here, and the Sultan Abu Bakar Complex (KSAB) in Iskandar Puteri.
“Hence, the start of the state’s public transport sector’s transformation can be traced back to the RTS.
“The Johor Public Transport Corporation (PAJ), as the agency that regulates public transport planning in Johor, has a precise plan to integrate the RTS with the existing public transport system in the state,” said Muhammad Zaly.
He believes that the RTS will not only help reduce congestion but also further improve operations at CIQ BSI and KSAB.
The RTS Link project is a four-kilometre rail network connecting Bukit Chagar Station in Johor and Woodlands North Station in Singapore.
Scheduled to be completed by Dec 2026, it is expected to attract 35 per cent of the 350,000 travellers who pass through the Johor Causeway every day. –Bernama
