JB traffic dispersal plan being drawn up ahead of RTS Link operations

Johor Baru is preparing to implement measures to alleviate traffic congestion and avert potential bottlenecks as the Johor Baru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link commences operations. Deputy Prime Minister Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi disclosed that the plans entail coordination among various agencies and harmonization of public transport systems, anticipating shifts in travel patterns around the city center and areas linked to the system.

This strategy aligns with the objective of fostering a more integrated, efficient, safe, and people-centric public transport system, aimed at facilitating smoother cross-border mobility, he stated after convening the Cabinet Committee on Road Safety and Congestion (JK-MKKJR) meeting today. The RTS Link is slated to commence operations on January 1st of next year and is projected to transport up to 10,000 passengers per hour in both directions.

The system will link Bukit Chagar in Johor Baru with Woodlands North in Singapore. In a July 2nd appearance in the Dewan Rakyat, Transport Minister Anthony Loke disclosed that the federal government would finance the Elevated Autonomous Rapid Transit (E-ART) project in Johor as part of addressing the congestion anticipated following the RTS Link's inauguration.

Loke also announced that the Transport Ministry, in partnership with the Johor state government, is formulating a traffic dispersal plan to fortify the existing public transport framework, encompassing the expansion of the BAS.MY service network to 28 routes involving 254 buses, including electric buses. Under the Stage Bus Transformation Programme (SBST) 2.0, 157 buses would be designated to routes serving Johor Baru Sentral and Bukit Chagar, with service commencement anticipated early next year.