Sneak peek at completed RTS Link Woodlands North station

SINGAPORE – Travellers are one step closer to faster cross-border trips following the completion of the RTS Link Woodlands North station on Sept 4, almost six years after construction of the station officially started in 2021.

The milestone was announced by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) that day, keeping the Johor Bahru-Singapore RTS Link on track to begin operations in 2027.

The 4km RTS Link – a bilateral project connecting Singapore and Malaysia – will allow passengers to travel between Bukit Chagar station in Johor Bahru and Woodlands North station in Singapore, which is linked to the MRT, in about five minutes.

This shuttle service is expected to have a daily ridership of 40,000. During peak periods, the RTS Link can carry up to 10,000 passengers an hour in each direction, said LTA in a Facebook post on Sept 4.

Photos of the completed RTS Link Woodlands North station, which is connected to the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL), accompanied LTA’s Facebook post.

One of the photos shows the pick-up and drop-off point. The colours and design of that place were inspired by trees, incorporating “the Woodlands identity of nature”, said the authority.

LTA said in the caption of another photo that building the station’s foundation was challenging due to the high volume of hard rock at the site.

To minimise the vibrations felt by passengers on the TEL, LTA said it used high-capacity drilling machines and carried out more than 600 instances of rock blasting. These blasts were carried out in small, controlled quantities whenever the trains left the station, it added.

People can transfer to the RTS Link from the TEL Woodlands North station at Basement 1, it said. The arrival hall is also on Basement 1.

To get to and from other parts of Singapore, travellers can also take buses.

One of the photos posted by LTA shows the ticketing concourse, located in Basement 1. It features artwork with various icons symbolising nature, science, friendship and heritage, among others, said LTA.

According to LTA’s website, the RTS Link Woodlands North station is constructed underground at a maximum depth of 28m.

There are three storeys, with two basement levels and an underground linkway to the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine building, the authority said on its website.

Security checks will be carried out at the immigration halls before travellers head to the train platforms for departure, said LTA in its Sept 4 post.

The viaduct on which the cross-border train runs has a feature depicting clasping hands, symbolising the close partnership between Singapore and Malaysia, said LTA.

In August, Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke said all the station and rail infrastructure on the Malaysian side of the RTS Link had been completed.

He said then that the RTS Link was in its final integration testing stages between Singapore and Malaysia.

When asked, Loke said details of the fare and launch date would be jointly announced by the transport ministries of Malaysia and Singapore.