![\"RTS](\"https:\/\/www.freemalaysiatoday.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=3840,quality=80,format=auto,fit=scale-down,metadata=none,dpr=1,onerror=redirect\/https:\/\/media.freemalaysiatoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/d3f4d8da-rts-link-bernama-050726.webp\"\/)
<\/div>The opening of the Johor-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link in January next year will mark a turning point for cross-border mobility, but its success will hinge on the city\u2019s ability to manage the onward movement of thousands of passengers beyond Bukit Chagar.<\/p><\/div>\n
To address this, the federal government is promoting the elevated autonomous rapid transit (e-ART) system as a solution to Johor Bahru\u2019s last-mile connectivity challenge, hoping also to ease congestion in the city centre.<\/p>\n Universiti Sains Malaysia urban and regional planning lecturer Ismail Isa said the five-minute RTS Link journey between Bukit Chagar and Woodlands North must be complemented by an efficient onward transport network.<\/p>\n \u201cThe RTS only connects two points. The biggest challenge begins when passengers arrive at Bukit Chagar.<\/p>\n \u201c(Many of them) would still need to travel to Skudai, Iskandar Puteri, Tebrau, Pasir Gudang and other areas. This is where e-ART plays a role as a connector for the next leg of the journey,\u201d he told FMT.<\/p>\n He said that Johoreans would otherwise have to rely on private vehicles and e-hailing services, adding pressure to the road network once the RTS Link \u2014 capable of carrying up to 10,000 passengers per hour in each direction \u2014 begins operations.<\/p>\n Ismail said the resultant congestion could affect cross-border travellers significantly.<\/p>\n \u201cImagine, in just two or three trips, the number of passengers could reach tens of thousands. Without e-ART, many will turn to e-hailing during peak hours.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a result, users\u2019 daily travel costs will also increase. In contrast, e-ART can offer more stable fares with much higher passenger capacity at any one time,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n On Thursday, transport minister Loke Siew Fook reiterated the government\u2019s commitment to expediting the e-ART project, including bearing part of its construction cost.<\/p>\n He said the government wanted the project accelerated, even though construction is expected to take several years, with mitigation measures put in place to ease traffic congestion while awaiting its completion.<\/p>\n Ismail said Johor also needs an integrated bus interchange at Bukit Chagar, park-and-ride facilities, safe and covered pedestrian walkways, and micromobility options such as electric bicycles and e-scooters to complete the overall urban mobility ecosystem.<\/p>\n Johoreans hope for smoother travel<\/strong><\/p>\n Trader Yeow Boon Teck, 44, welcomed the RTS Link as a positive development, but said it must be supported by a comprehensive transport system.<\/p>\n \u201cIf there is e-ART, it will be even better. With a good system, congestion can be reduced,\u201d said Yeow, who manages a family business that has operated in the city centre for more than 45 years.<\/p>\n For Azimah Hamidon, 49, the RTS Link, together with efforts to strengthen the transport network around the Johor Customs, Immigration and Quarantine complex, is a positive step that will ease the daily commute of thousands of cross-border workers.<\/p>\n \u201cAlternative routes are important to avoid congestion so that the journey for cross-border workers can be smoother and less stressful,\u201d said Azimah, who sends her husband to work in Singapore every day.<\/p>\n Bread seller Lim Toh Shian, 46, expects the RTS Link to boost the local economy by making it easier for Johoreans and Singaporeans to commute.<\/p>\n \u201cThe RTS is definitely better for both Johoreans and Singaporeans. I can already see business growing, and I believe it will continue to grow,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Lim is also looking forward to the e-ART system, saying he believes it will complement the RTS Link well and improve traffic flow in the city centre.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The Johor-Singapore Rapid Transit Link will connect Bukit Chagar in Johor Bahru with Woodlands North in Singapore. (Bernama pic) JOHOR BAHRU: The opening of the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":66490,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2611],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-66489","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buzz-headlines","wpcat-2611-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66489","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=66489"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66489\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/66490"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=66489"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=66489"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=66489"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Ismail](\"https:\/\/www.freemalaysiatoday.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=3840,quality=80,format=auto,fit=scale-down,metadata=none,dpr=1,onerror=redirect\/https:\/\/media.freemalaysiatoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/ece7d0b1-2-ismail-isa-ms-050726.webp\"\/)
<\/div>![\"Yeow](\"https:\/\/www.freemalaysiatoday.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=3840,quality=80,format=auto,fit=scale-down,metadata=none,dpr=1,onerror=redirect\/https:\/\/media.freemalaysiatoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1ac68927-yeow-boon-teck-ms-050726.webp\"\/)
<\/div>![\"Azimah](\"https:\/\/www.freemalaysiatoday.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=3840,quality=80,format=auto,fit=scale-down,metadata=none,dpr=1,onerror=redirect\/https:\/\/media.freemalaysiatoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/62e4dcbc-azimah-hamidon-ms-050726.webp\"\/)
<\/div>![\"Lim](\"https:\/\/www.freemalaysiatoday.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/width=3840,quality=80,format=auto,fit=scale-down,metadata=none,dpr=1,onerror=redirect\/https:\/\/media.freemalaysiatoday.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/395c00ad-lim-toh-shian-ms-050726.webp\"\/)
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