There Will be More Train & Bus Services Between Singapore & JB Very Soon

Even with Transport Minister S Iswaran taking an unwanted breather, the wheels of the transport industry keep turning. In fact, they’re spinning a bit faster. The train service that connects Singapore to Johor Bahru is set to ramp up its game. From the current 31 trips per day, it’s gearing up to make 36 trips.

The 16th Meeting of the Malaysia-Singapore Joint Ministerial Committee for Iskandar Malaysia was held on Friday (14 July), and this exciting news was dropped in a joint statement released after the meeting.

And in case you’re curious…yes, it was Acting Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat who stepped into the meeting.

More Train & Bus Services Between Singapore & JB Coming Your Way Soon

According to the statement, the working group that’s got their hands on the wheel for transportation matters has given a nod in principle to increase the service frequency of the KTM Tebrau Shuttle train. The new train schedules will hit the tracks once the details are ironed out by both parties.

The exact date for the start of this service is still up in the air. However, they’ve confirmed that they’re boosting the current 31 daily train trips to a whopping 36 daily train trips.

When it comes to land transportation, the transportation and immigration agencies of both countries are in huddles with cross-border bus service providers. The goal? To crank up the frequency of bus services between Singapore and Johor Bahru during peak hours.

This move is aimed at trimming down the waiting time for passengers at the Woodlands Checkpoint and the Tuas Second Link.

(Can someone also tell Malaysia to crank up the number of officers working there, too?)

At the previous year’s meeting, the working group unveiled plans to explore the launch of a new ferry service between Singapore’s Tuas and Puteri Harbour in Johor. The joint statement hinted that ferry operators in both countries will probe into the commercial viability of opening new services.

Last year saw the inauguration of two new ferry routes between Singapore and Johor. One was the route between Singapore and Tanjung Pengelih, which set sail in December. The other was the route between Singapore and Desaru Ferry Terminal, which was launched in July.

Heading to Malaysia is going to be easier soon…maybe all thanks to Iswaran?