Johor sultan briefed on rail project

PUTRAJAYA: Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan has briefed the sultan of Johor on the Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link Project.

He met Sultan of Johor Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar on Tuesday to provide details of the project and the ruler had expressed his views.

Rahman yesterday said he would take Sultan Ibrahim’s views into account to improve the project.

“The government is committed to sign the agreement with Singapore by the end of this year.

“Malaysians and Singaporeans can look forward to better connectivity and accessibility once RTS is completed in 2024,” he said.

In an interview with the New Straits Times last month, Sultan Ibrahim had expressed serious reservations on the design of the RTS rail track, including an elevated bridge, linking Woodlands in Singapore and Bukit Chagar, Johor Baru.

Sultan Ibrahim said while he welcomed the project, he disagreed with the curve-shaped design of the track, as well as the plan to build the bridge as high as 30m above water in the middle section.

He said the bridge would disrupt the city skyline along the Johor Straits, adding that the proposed designs of RTS and the bridge were impractical, unsustainable and potentially costly.

The project was announced by the Malaysian and Singaporean governments seven years ago to provide an alternative for 80,000 to 100,000 people who commute via the Causeway daily.

RTS is expected to handle up to 10,000 passengers an hour in each direction between its terminus stations in Bukit Chagar and Woodlands.