Zahid chairs road safety panel, maps congestion fixes before Johor Bahru RTS January debut

PUTRAJAYA, August 17 — Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has convened a road safety panel to devise strategies for alleviating traffic congestion in Johor Bahru city centre and averting potential new jams prior to the inauguration of the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link. The plan encompasses coordination amongst agencies and integration of public transport networks, anticipating shifts in travel habits, particularly in city centre and areas adjacent to the system.

Zahid emphasized this strategy aligns with the goal of establishing a seamless, effective, secure, and people-centric public transport framework, catering to smoother cross-border mobility. The RTS Link is slated to commence operations on January 1 next year and is projected to accommodate up to 10,000 passengers per hour in each direction.

Connecting Bukit Chagar in Johor Bahru with Woodlands North in Singapore, the system will carry passengers at a rate of 10,000 per hour in each direction. On July 2, Transport Minister Anthony Loke revealed during a session in the Dewan Rakyat that the federal government would finance the Elevated Autonomous Rapid Transit project in Johor as part of broader efforts to mitigate congestion anticipated post-RTS Link launch.

He further disclosed that the Transport Ministry, in cooperation with the Johor state government, was formulating a traffic dispersion blueprint to bolster the current public transport infrastructure, encompassing an expansion of the BAS.MY service network to 28 routes comprising 254 buses, including electric buses. Under the Stage Bus Transformation Programme (SBST) 2.0, 157 buses would be designated to routes serving Johor Bahru Sentral and Bukit Chagar, set to commence service in early 2027.