Despite the high crime rates that dogged Johor Bahru from the 1980s to the 2000s, the closest Malaysian city kept luring Singaporeans with its cheap seafood and groceries – and even petrol. The crowds still descend, but these days the capital of Johor state draws visitors for a variety of other reasons. Even in-the-know foreign tourists to Singapore slip across the 1km-long causeway for a change of scene – undeterred by the traffic jams.
The five-minute ride on the KTM Shuttle Tebrau train, which skips the bus and car queues, has helped ease the congestion, although tickets sell out fast. When the Johor Bahru–Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link, with its one-stop immigration facilities, replaces the shuttle (scheduled for year-end), day-trip numbers are expected to spike.
