Confirmed (Maybe?): You Can Take the MRT to JB By 2024

By
Zhi Hao
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I know what you must be thinking: taking the MRT to JB? Isn’t that, like, in the pipeline since centuries ago?

After all, it’s thought that it could be ready by 2018. Or 2019. Or even further.

Well, it seems like there’s finally an end to this speculation.

Hopefully.

The date is set: by the end of December 2024, a cross-border MRT system between Singapore and Johor Bahru will commence operations.

This decision was made after the 13th meeting of the Malaysia-Singapore Joint Ministerial Committee for Iskanda Malaysia, and the agreement is expected to be signed by December this year.

Both countries are expected to find an infrastructure company each to build and maintain the framework and stations within their own vicinity.

They will however jointly pick an operating company to operate and maintain the RTS Link operating assets, like the trains, tracks and systems.

Singapore’s RTS terminal will be situated at Woodlands North station, which follows the Thomson-East Coast MRT line, while Bukit Chagar will be Malaysia’s primary teminal for the RTS.

A link will be joined via a high bridge. This link will be able to ferry up to 10,000 passengers in each direction every hour!

Fare-wise, it will be entirely up to the market. Here’s hoping that the demand would not soar too much, but who am I kidding? It’s not just going to soar; it’s practically going to skyrocket.

But we never know: it’s seven years from now. Maybe by then, someone has invented teleportation.

And once the cross-border MRT starts up operations, the KTMB Tebrau shuttle will shut off operations within six months. Pretty sad, huh?

The Governments have been listening to the people though, and they have made the necessary changes. The KTMB Tebrau shuttle has increased its initial 14 daily trips in 2016 to 26 daily trips as of June, in a bid to deal with the demand.

According to Mr Khaw, our transport minister, the shuttle frequency should most likely be raised to 36 in a couple of years. Once the KTM ends, they can finally look into it with much more precision and understanding, and hopefully reduce or even eliminate the Causeway jam altogether!

And Woodlands and Jurong residents, heads up! According to Minister for National Development Lawrence Wong, the ministry has great plans in both Woodlands and Jurong, where the Singapore-KL High-Speed Rail terminus will be situated.

In Jurong, there will be offices, housing, hotels, commercial and recreational uses set up, and they will be merged with the neighbouring Jurong Lake Gardens.

For Woodlands, it could be the next big ‘regional centre’ after Tampines and Jurong. Aside from increasing network with the Thomson-East Coast and the North-South Lines, there’s also an improvement plan, which involves entirely new amenities, town plaza and improvements to the parks and gardens.

I guess we all have something to look forward to, huh?

But that’s seven years from now. Let’s worry about something more pressing seven minutes from now: would there be a breakdown?

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This article was first published on goodyfeed.com

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Zhi Hao
Email: [email protected]