SINGAPORE: The Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link marked another milestone with the unveiling of the line's first train on Monday (Jun 30).
Manufactured by China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CCRC), each train will have a standing capacity of 607 passengers, and can carry up to about 1,000 passengers at peak hours.
The first trains will depart from each end of the line at 6am, while the last trains will depart at 12am each day. The line is expected to have a peak capacity of 10,000 passengers an hour in each direction.
The 4km journey between Woodlands North and Bukit Chagar in Johor Bahru will take about 5 minutes, with the shortest wait for a train being 3.6 minutes.
There will be a total of eight trains when the RTS Link starts service at the target date of December 2026, the transport ministries of Singapore and Malaysia said in a joint press statement.
The first train was assembled at CCRC's facility in China, and delivered to Jurong Port on Apr 3. Since then, it has been at the Singapore Rail Test Centre preparing for offsite system integration testing.
During this phase of testing, operator RTS Operations will check the integration between the train and other rail systems, most critically the signalling system, as well as platform screen doors and onboard communications.
Offsite testing will start in July and take about four months, before the train is moved to the RTS Link tracks for onsite testing with the seven other trains.
Of the remaining seven trains, four have been delivered to CCRC's facility in Malaysia's Batu Gajah and are being assembled there. This process will be replicated for the last three trains.
The interior of the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System Link train on Jun 30, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Syamil Sapari)
The interior of the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System Link train on Jun 30, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Syamil Sapari)
The Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System Link train is a 4km rail shuttle service that will connect the Bukit Chagar Station in Johor Bahru to the Woodlands North Station in Singapore. (Photo: CNA/Syamil Sapari)
Media were given a preview of the RTS Link train by RTS Operations, a joint venture between SMRT RTS and Prasarana RTS Operations.
The driverless train runs at a maximum speed of 80kmh and is powered by a Grade of Automation 4 (GoA4) system, which refers to a system that runs fully automatically without any operating staff on board.
The deployment of staff on board the trains for other purposes, such as customer service, is still under consideration.
Each train is 76m long and 2.7m wide, and consists of four cars with three doors on each side. There are a total of 126 fixed seats and 16 pop-up seats.
When passengers arrive at the station to start their journey, they will pass through automatic fare gates with an open-loop payment system that accepts various forms of payment.
They will then pass through all the necessary immigration and customs checks at the station where they are boarding.
For example, passengers taking the RTS Link from Woodlands North will pass through Singapore's immigration checks, followed by Malaysia's, before boarding the train for Bukit Chagar.
This is to prevent the build-up of crowds at the destination station, where passengers can simply exit after passing through the fare gates.
Due to the short duration of the journey, passengers are expected to hold on to their own luggage, and there are no racks for storage.
In a first for trains in Singapore and Malaysia, RTS Link trains will feature a hearing induction loop system that allows passengers with hearing aids to hear public announcements on the train.
The move is meant to enhance safety and inclusivity on board.
Other security measures include cameras on the train, and boxing up of the areas below the seats, in order to reduce areas where objects can be hidden.
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Manufactured by China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CCRC), each train will have a standing capacity of 607 passengers, and can carry up to about 1,000 passengers at peak hours.
The first trains will depart from each end of the line at 6am, while the last trains will depart at 12am each day. The line is expected to have a peak capacity of 10,000 passengers an hour in each direction.
The 4km journey between Woodlands North and Bukit Chagar in Johor Bahru will take about 5 minutes, with the shortest wait for a train being 3.6 minutes.
There will be a total of eight trains when the RTS Link starts service at the target date of December 2026, the transport ministries of Singapore and Malaysia said in a joint press statement.
The first train was assembled at CCRC's facility in China, and delivered to Jurong Port on Apr 3. Since then, it has been at the Singapore Rail Test Centre preparing for offsite system integration testing.
During this phase of testing, operator RTS Operations will check the integration between the train and other rail systems, most critically the signalling system, as well as platform screen doors and onboard communications.
Offsite testing will start in July and take about four months, before the train is moved to the RTS Link tracks for onsite testing with the seven other trains.
Of the remaining seven trains, four have been delivered to CCRC's facility in Malaysia's Batu Gajah and are being assembled there. This process will be replicated for the last three trains.
The interior of the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System Link train on Jun 30, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Syamil Sapari)
The interior of the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System Link train on Jun 30, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Syamil Sapari)
The Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System Link train is a 4km rail shuttle service that will connect the Bukit Chagar Station in Johor Bahru to the Woodlands North Station in Singapore. (Photo: CNA/Syamil Sapari)
FIRST LOOK AT THE TRAIN
Media were given a preview of the RTS Link train by RTS Operations, a joint venture between SMRT RTS and Prasarana RTS Operations.
The driverless train runs at a maximum speed of 80kmh and is powered by a Grade of Automation 4 (GoA4) system, which refers to a system that runs fully automatically without any operating staff on board.
The deployment of staff on board the trains for other purposes, such as customer service, is still under consideration.
Each train is 76m long and 2.7m wide, and consists of four cars with three doors on each side. There are a total of 126 fixed seats and 16 pop-up seats.
When passengers arrive at the station to start their journey, they will pass through automatic fare gates with an open-loop payment system that accepts various forms of payment.
They will then pass through all the necessary immigration and customs checks at the station where they are boarding.
For example, passengers taking the RTS Link from Woodlands North will pass through Singapore's immigration checks, followed by Malaysia's, before boarding the train for Bukit Chagar.
This is to prevent the build-up of crowds at the destination station, where passengers can simply exit after passing through the fare gates.
Due to the short duration of the journey, passengers are expected to hold on to their own luggage, and there are no racks for storage.
In a first for trains in Singapore and Malaysia, RTS Link trains will feature a hearing induction loop system that allows passengers with hearing aids to hear public announcements on the train.
The move is meant to enhance safety and inclusivity on board.
Other security measures include cameras on the train, and boxing up of the areas below the seats, in order to reduce areas where objects can be hidden.
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