JOHOR BARU: The one-month delay in the opening of the Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link for public use until February is mainly to ensure it operates smoothly and without technical problems, says Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
He stressed that the project itself remained on track for completion by Dec 31, with public operations to begin in February after final evaluations and technical approvals by the authorities of both countries.
“This includes final assessments by independent safety consultants and technical approvals from Malaysia’s Land Public Transport Agency (Apad) and Singapore’s Land Transport Authority,” he said.
Loke said the decision was made after discussions with his Singaporean counterpart, adding that the authorities did not want to take unnecessary risks by rushing such an important cross-border public transport project.
“Although it is slightly delayed, we believe this is a good decision to ensure the system runs smoothly.
“We do not want to rush without a comprehensive assessment, which could result in technical problems,” he said at an event marking the expansion of the BAS.MY Johor Baru stage bus service here on Thursday (Oct 8).
On the specific start date of operations in February, Loke said an announcement would be made once approvals were obtained from the relevant agencies in both countries.
He added that they did not expect further delays, with the revised timeline acting as a buffer.
The Star had earlier reported that many daily commuters between Malaysia and Singapore, who had been looking forward to the RTS beginning operations on Jan 1, were disappointed by the delay and hoped there would be no further postponements.
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