By December 2026, a driverless train will cross the Strait of Johor in 5 minutes — replacing what is today a 60 to 180-minute Causeway crawl for thousands of commuters and day-trippers every weekend.
If you have ever stood in a Woodlands checkpoint queue on a Friday night watching the minutes tick away, you know exactly why this matters. The Johor Bahru–Singapore Rapid Transit System — the RTS Link — is the most significant cross-border infrastructure project between Malaysia and Singapore in a generation, and for guests staying at KSL D'Esplanade in Johor Bahru, it changes the calculus for the whole trip, lah.
What exactly is the RTS Link?
The RTS Link is a 4 km elevated rail line connecting Bukit Chagar station (Jalan Tun Abdul Razak, 80300 Johor Bahru) on the Malaysia side to Woodlands North station in Singapore — the only two stations on the line. Construction officially began on 22 January 2021. On 30 June 2025, both countries' transport ministers unveiled the first train at Singapore's Rail Test Centre in Tuas, marking a genuine milestone after years of planning and one earlier cancellation.
The trains are driverless four-car sets built by CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive (China), each carrying up to 1,087 passengers. Eight trains will operate at launch, running at a peak frequency of one train every 3.6 minutes at up to 80 km/h. The viaduct sits about 25 metres above the Strait of Johor — a completely separate structure from the Causeway road bridge running alongside it.
When does the RTS Link open?
The targeted passenger service start is December 2026, with some official sources citing 1 January 2027 as the operational date. Be aware: this timeline has shifted before — the project was cancelled and restarted in 2018 before construction resumed in 2021. If you are planning a trip near end-2026, confirm the actual opening date before assuming the train is running. We will update this post as announcements come.
The service will run daily from 6:00 AM to midnight. At launch it is projected to handle 40,000 passengers per day, rising to a long-term target of 140,000 daily. The operator is RTS Operations Pte Ltd, a joint venture between Malaysia's Prasarana and Singapore's SMRT.
What is the RTS Link fare?
Final fares have not been announced as of mid-2026 — pricing is expected to be confirmed in the second half of 2026. Current estimates from multiple travel sources put a one-way ticket at approximately S$5–S$7 (roughly RM15.50–RM21.70 at current rates). That is cost-competitive with the existing KTM Shuttle Tebrau, which runs JB Sentral to Woodlands CIQ for S$5 from the Singapore side. The RTS will be dramatically faster and far more frequent.
Speaking of the KTM Shuttle Tebrau: while the RTS is still under construction, the Shuttle Tebrau remains an option — it runs roughly hourly for RM5 (JB to Singapore) or S$5 (Singapore to JB). However, note that it will cease operations approximately six months after the RTS Link opens, so this is a temporary alternative only.
What makes the immigration process different?
This is the headline advantage, and it is genuinely different from anything at the Causeway. The Bukit Chagar Integrated CIQ (Customs, Immigration and Quarantine) facility uses 100 AI-powered e-gates designed to clear each commuter in about 7 seconds, backed by 10 security screening lanes and 18 baggage scanners.
More importantly: you clear both Malaysian and Singapore immigration once, at Bukit Chagar, before you board. There is no second checkpoint on arrival at Woodlands North. This single-clearance model is unique to the RTS Link — every other crossing (Causeway buses, Second Link, the old Shuttle Tebrau) requires you to queue at both ends. For Singapore day-trippers, this alone is the killer feature.
How far is Bukit Chagar station from KSL D'Esplanade?
- Address: Bukit Chagar RTS Station, Jalan Tun Abdul Razak, Bukit Chagar, 80300 Johor Bahru, Johor
- Operating hours (upon opening): Daily 6:00 AM – 12:00 midnight
- Distance from KSL D'Esplanade: Approximately 3.5–4 km by road
- By Causeway Link bus Route F100: Approximately 6 minutes, RM1–2 (KSL City stop to Bukit Chagar)
- By Grab/taxi: Approximately 3 minutes, RM9–11
- Walking: Approximately 41 minutes (not recommended in JB heat)
- Google Maps: Get directions to Bukit Chagar RTS Station
The easiest option from KSL is Causeway Link bus Route F100 — hop on at the KSL City stop, about 6 minutes and RM1–2 to Bukit Chagar. From there, board the RTS to Woodlands North, which connects directly to Singapore's Thomson-East Coast Line MRT. Total door-to-Woodlands journey from KSL D'Esplanade is expected to be around 20–30 minutes once the RTS opens. Compare that to the current 60–180 minutes on Causeway buses. Confirm worth it, right?
How does the RTS compare to crossing by Causeway bus?
The Causeway handles an enormous volume of traffic — queues on a normal Friday evening can run 90 minutes or more, and on public holiday eves it is not unusual to see 3-hour waits. The RTS Link is projected to reduce Causeway traffic by at least 35% by drawing off the commuter and day-tripper segment onto fixed-schedule rail.
For guests coming from Singapore, the practical comparison is: Causeway bus (variable, 60–180 min, queue twice for immigration, cheap) versus RTS Link (5-minute crossing, single immigration clearance, S$5–7, departs every 3–4 minutes at peak). The bus is still fine for off-peak travel. But on a Friday evening or long weekend, the RTS will be a different league la.
What does the RTS mean for JB property and tourism?
Property within 1 km of Bukit Chagar station has already appreciated 25–35% since 2022, and rental asking prices for apartments within walking distance rose roughly 12% since mid-2025, driven by RTS anticipation. When a 5-minute train ride replaces an hour-plus border crawl, JB's value proposition for Singapore residents — cheaper food, cheaper accommodation, shopping malls, dental and medical tourism — becomes even more compelling.
For JB tourism broadly, the RTS removes the single biggest friction point: the unpredictable border queue. When that queue becomes a 5-minute train with fixed departures, more Singaporeans will come, more often, for shorter trips. A Saturday lunch in JB followed by a 5 PM train back becomes genuinely easy. That is good news for everyone in JB's hospitality and F&B ecosystem.
Planning a trip to Johor Bahru? Book your stay at Southern Homestay — our studio and 2-bedroom units at KSL D'Esplanade are approximately 3.5–4 km from Bukit Chagar RTS Station, with a direct Causeway Link bus (Route F100) taking about 6 minutes. WhatsApp us at +60 12-708 8789 to check availability.