05/12/2024

Kebaya inscribed onto UNESCO intangible cultural heritage list

The kebaya was jointly nominated by five Southeast Asian countries – Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand

The kebaya has been successfully inscribed onto the UNESCO representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity. This was announced on Wednesday (Dec 4) at about 9.50pm Singapore time, after a meeting of the 24-member UNESCO intergovernmental committee (IGC) in Asuncion, Paraguay, said the National Heritage Board (NHB) in a media release.

The inscription was witnessed by representatives of at least 130 state parties and accredited non-governmental organisations to the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Culture Heritage. The kebaya was jointly nominated by five Southeast Asian countries – Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand – and is the largest nomination from Southeast Asia to date in terms of nominating countries. “The five countries collaborated on a nomination for the first time as the kebaya celebrates our shared cultural identity, promotes cross-cultural understanding, and continues to be present and actively produced and worn by many communities across Southeast Asia,” NHB said.

The nomination fulfilled all five evaluation criteria used by the IGC. The nominating countries were commended for the level of community participation at both the national and regional levels during the nomination process. They were also commended for "the cohesion in recognising (the) kebaya as a unifying element that connects diverse cultures and communities that cross geographically boundaries", NHB said.


Singapore and 4 other nations succeed in getting the kebaya on Unesco intangible cultural heritage list
The Love, Kebaya exhibition at the National Museum of Singapore on 4 April 2023

The kebaya, a traditional women’s garment popular in South-east Asia, has been officially added to a list of the world’s intangible cultural heritage following a joint nomination by Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.

The outcome was announced at about 9.50pm Singapore time on Dec 4, at the meeting of a 24-member Unesco intergovernmental committee held in Asuncion, Paraguay, where new additions to the Unesco Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity were approved.

Intangible cultural heritage refers to traditions or living expressions that are inherited and passed on between generations, such as performing arts, social practices, rituals and festive events.


KEBAYA SUCCESSFULLY INSCRIBED ONTO THE UNESCO REPRESENTATIVE LIST
OF THE INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE OF HUMANITY

Kebaya has been inscribed onto the UNESCO. Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of Humanity at the 19th session of the Intergovernmental Committee (IGC) that was held in Asunción, Republic of Paraguay. The IGC announced the successful inscription of Kebaya: Knowledge, Skills, Traditions and Practices on 4 December 2024 at approximately 9:47pm (UTC +08:00). The 24-member committee adopted the recommendation by the Evaluation Body to inscribe kebaya onto the 
Representative List, and this was witnessed by representatives of at least 130 States Parties 
and accredited non-governmental organisations to the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding 
of the Intangible Culture Heritage.

The multinational nomination of kebaya involved five Southeast Asian countries – Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand – marking the largest nomination from Southeast Asia to date, in terms of the number of nominating countries. The five countries collaborated on a nomination for the first time as the kebaya celebrates our shared cultural identity, promotes cross-cultural understanding, and continues to be present and actively produced and worn by many communities across Southeast Asia.

The nomination fulfilled all five evaluation criteria used by the IGC. The nominating countries were commended for the level of community participation at both the national and regional level during the nomination process, as well as the cohesion in recognising kebaya as a unifying element that connects diverse cultures and communities that cross geographically boundaries. With the positive recommendations from the Evaluation Body, the IGC, chaired by H.E. Ms Nancy Ovelar de Gorostiaga (Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary and Permanent Delegate of the Republic of Paraguay to UNESCO), proceeded to declare kebaya inscribed onto the Representative List.


Kebaya: knowledge, skills, traditions and practices

Kebaya is a front-opening top often adorned with intricate embroidery and worn with fasteners such as brooches or buttons. It comes in various lengths and can be worn with a matching sarong. Kebaya is a way of dressing that has evolved with the lifestyles of Southeast Asian women.

It is worn at casual as well as formal events, social gatherings and festivals. It is also worn in the performing arts, such as in dance performances, theatre and film. Contemporary designs are featured in beauty pageants and award ceremonies to reflect the wearer’s cultural identity. Making kebaya involves specific skills and knowledge related to the preparation, design, selection and cutting of fabrics and accessories, as well as different sewing and embroidery styles.

Traditionally, these skills and knowledge have been transmitted informally from mothers to daughters. Over time, men have also become involved and formal training has become available through schools and workshops. Kebaya is a significant part of the cultural heritage and identity of various communities in Southeast Asia. Despite variations in how kebaya is made and worn, it is a common cultural element that transcends ethnicity, religion and borders, facilitating dialogue and uniting communities.


The kebaya nominated for UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage
5 Southeast Asian countries unite to nominate kebaya for UNESCO Intangible Heritage List

The kebaya, a traditional Southeast Asian garment, is being nominated by Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore for 2023’s UNESCO Intangible Heritage List. Singapore has been running a campaign on Facebook to get the kebaya included on UNESCO’s list since it first announced the effort in a press release on Nov. 23, 2022.

While Singapore distributed the press release, the Southeast Asian city-state noted that Malaysia proposed and coordinated the plan. In a Q&A posted on Feb. 16, Singapore’s National Heritage Board explained that the countries would be sending their nomination to UNESCO by this month. As part of the submission process, each of them would need to “showcase their efforts in promoting and safeguarding the kebaya” and gather “community support and consent for the nomination.”

Although Indonesia was not listed in the first official draft of the press release for the nomination in November 2022, the Southeast Asian country was eventually added to the list by Singapore’s National Heritage Board. "The five countries agreed to work together on this multinational nomination as the kebaya represents and celebrates the region’s rich shared history, promotes cross-cultural understanding and continues to be actively produced and worn by many communities across Southeast Asia," the National Heritage Board wrote.


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04/12/2024

Singapore have won a total of 6 medals at the Olympics

Athletes from Singapore have won a total of 6 medals at the Olympics including 1 gold

The country has won six Olympic medals, the first was at the 1960 Summer Olympics, the second at the 2008 Summer Olympics and the third and fourth at the 2012 Summer Olympics. At the 2016 Summer Olympics Singapore won their first ever gold medal and the fifth overall. At the 2024 Summer Olympics, Singapore won their third bronze medal, bringing the total number of Olympic medals won to six:
  • Singapore's first Olympic medal was won by Tan Howe Liang, who won silver in lightweight weightlifting in 1960 Summer Olympics. The first and to date only Olympic gold medal was won by Joseph Schooling in the men's 100 metre butterfly at the 2016 Summer Olympics. In table tennis, Jing Junhong, Li Jiawei and Yu Mengyu came close to winning medals by finishing in fourth place for the women's singles events at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, 2004 Athens Olympics and 2020 Tokyo Olympics respectively.
  • During the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Singapore sent its largest contingent at that time, since it first participated, and was considered the best prepared to win a medal. Li Jiawei, together with Feng Tianwei and Wang Yuegu, beat the South Korea Women's Table Tennis team, composed of Dang Ye-Seo, Kim Kyung-Ah and Park Mi-Young 3–2 in the semi-finals, assuring Singapore of at least a silver medal and ending Singapore's 48-year Olympic medal drought. Singapore faced host China in the gold medal final and lost in straight sets but won the silver medal.
  • In the 2012 London Olympics, Feng beat Kasumi Ishikawa from Japan 4–0 in the table tennis women's singles bronze medal match, winning Singapore's first individual Olympic medal in 52 years since Tan won the silver medal at the 1960 Rome Games. In the table tennis women's team bronze medal match, Li, together with Feng and Wang, beat the South Korea team composing Dang Ye-Seo, Kim Kyung-Ah and Seok Ha-Jung 3–0, winning another bronze medal. The two bronze medals won at the 2012 London Summer Olympics marked the first time that Singapore won more than one medal in an Olympiad
  • In the 2016 Rio Olympics, Olympic swimmer Joseph Schooling won a gold medal in the Men's 100 metre butterfly in an Olympics record of 50.39 seconds, becoming the first gold Olympic medallist of Singapore. This was also the first gold medal by a Southeast Asian male swimmer and the first Olympic gold that Singapore achieved. During the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan, Singapore sent 23 athletes to the Games but did not manage to win any medals.
  • In the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, kitefoiler Maximilian Maeder won a bronze medal in the Men’s Kite category at the age of only 17, coming behind second place Toni Vodišek from Slovenia and first place Valentin Bontus from Austria. This makes Maximilian Maeder the youngest individual to win a medal in the Olympics from Singapore.

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03/12/2024

S'pore’s 1st Olympic medallist Tan Howe Liang dies @ 91

Tan Howe Liang, Singapore’s first Olympic medallist, dies at 91

He won Singapore’s first Olympic medal, turned weightlifting into one of the country’s most successful sports, and inspired a national multimillion-dollar initiative that ended a 48-year Olympic medal drought.

Tan Howe Liang, whose silver medal at Rome 1960 made him Singapore’s first and only Olympic medallist for almost half a century, died on 3 December 2024. He was 91.

He was a sportsman born ahead of his time, chasing sporting glory at a time when a pre-independent, third-world Singapore paid little attention to anything other than economic progress. The lacklustre attitude towards sports did not deter his quest for success – Tan swept everything in his path, winning medals at the South-east Asian Peninsular (SEAP) Games, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, and Olympics.


Singapore’s first Olympic medallist Tan Howe Liang dies aged 91
Tan Howe Liang clinched silver at the 1960 Rome Olympics, making him Singapore's 1st medallist at the quadrennial Games

Singapore’s first Olympic medallist Tan Howe Liang died of pneumonia on Dec 3. He was 91. A trailblazer in Singapore sport, the weightlifter made history at the 1960 Rome Olympics by clinching silver in the lightweight division. Singapore National Olympic Council president Grace Fu said in a tribute: “Howe Liang’s achievement has inspired many generations of Singaporeans. Athletes of his generation had much lesser, but they accepted what they had and trained hard.

“His achievement in Rome goes to show what one can achieve, if one simply devotes himself to it. He also exemplifies the value of a true Olympian athlete through his humility and kindness.” The third of seven children, Tan was born in the southern Chinese city of Swatow in 1933, moving to Singapore with his family when he was four and settling in the cramped quarters of Chinatown. He picked up weightlifting after seeing a strongman competition at the now-defunct Gay World Amusement Park and began training seriously in 1952 after joining the Evergreen Weightlifting Party for 50 cents a month. So dedicated was Tan to his athletic ambitions that the lack of financial support did not stop his sporting pursuits. He took on a variety of jobs ranging from dockworker, store clerk and electrician to fund his training and overseas competitions.

He was crowned national champion within a year, the start of what would be an illustrious career for him. At the 1958 Commonwealth Games, he set the world record in the clean-and-jerk, before claiming gold at the Asian and SEAP Games a year later. Then came his Olympic success in the halls of the Palazzeto dello Sport in Rome. After a disappointing outing at the 1956 Melbourne Games where he finished ninth, Tan was determined to finish on the podium. This time he did. An hour and a half before the final lift at the 1960 Olympics in Rome, he felt an incredible pain in his legs and was advised by doctors to withdraw from the competition in order to seek treatment.


Tan Howe Liang, Singapore's first Olympic medallist, dies aged 91
Olympian Tan Howe Liang poses with his silver medal that he won at the 1960 Rome Olympics

Weightlifter Tan Howe Liang, Singapore’s first Olympic medallist, died on Tuesday (Dec 3) at the age of 91. Tan won a silver medal at the 1960 Rome Games, making him Singapore’s only Olympic medallist for almost half a century.

It would not be until 2008 in Beijing when Singapore’s women’s table tennis team - Feng Tianwei, Li Jiawei and Wang Yuegu - would win the country’s next Olympic medals. "(Tan) was a sportsman born ahead of his time, chasing sporting glory at a time when a pre-independent, third-world Singapore paid little attention to anything other than economic progress," read an obituary by the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC).

Born in the Chinese city of Swatow in 1933, Tan emigrated to Singapore with his family when he was four. He became interested in weightlifting after witnessing a strongman competition and started training seriously in 1952. Tan broke the clean and jerk world record at the 1958 Commonwealth Games before winning gold at the Asian and Southeast Asian Peninsular (SEAP) Games in 1959. Following his 1960 Olympic feat, Tan would go on to win gold at the 1962 Perth Commonwealth Games. However he would ultimately retire after failing to repeat his performance at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. "Howe Liang’s achievement has inspired many generations of Singaporeans," said SNOC president Grace Fu, who is also the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment.


Tan Howe Liang
Born 5 May 1933 & Died 3 Dec 2024 (aged 91)

Tan Howe Liang, PJG (simplified Chinese: 陈浩亮; traditional Chinese: 陳浩亮; pinyin: Chén Hàoliàng; 5 May 1933 – 3 December 2024) was a Singaporean weightlifter who was the first Singaporean to win an Olympic Games medal. He did so in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome where he won the silver medal in the lightweight category. Tan also broke the oldest-standing world record in the lightweight category in the clean and jerk in 1958. He was the only Singaporean Olympic medalist until the 2008 Summer Olympics.

Tan was born on 5 May 1933, in Swatow, China, where he was the third of eight siblings.[3] When he was four years old, he emigrated with his family to settle in Singapore, where he grew up in Chinatown. Tan's Teochew father died when Tan was 14. Tan left school after his first year at a secondary school.

Tan's weightlifting career started when he walked past the World Amusement Park and witnessed his first weightlifting competition and became interested in the sport. After one year of training on his own, Tan, then 20, won national junior and senior championship in the lightweight division in 1953. Without any financial support, Tan worked as a clerk at Cathay Organisation and also as a mechanic to pay for his training. Despite the hardships, Tan continued his training.


Singapore have won a total of 6 medals at the Olympics
Athletes from Singapore have won a total of 6 medals at the Olympics including 1 gold

The country has won six Olympic medals, the first was at the 1960 Summer Olympics, the second at the 2008 Summer Olympics and the third and fourth at the 2012 Summer Olympics. At the 2016 Summer Olympics Singapore won their first ever gold medal and the fifth overall. At the 2024 Summer Olympics, Singapore won their third bronze medal, bringing the total number of Olympic medals won to six:
  • Singapore's first Olympic medal was won by Tan Howe Liang, who won silver in lightweight weightlifting in 1960 Summer Olympics. The first and to date only Olympic gold medal was won by Joseph Schooling in the men's 100 metre butterfly at the 2016 Summer Olympics. In table tennis, Jing Junhong, Li Jiawei and Yu Mengyu came close to winning medals by finishing in fourth place for the women's singles events at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, 2004 Athens Olympics and 2020 Tokyo Olympics respectively.
  • During the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Singapore sent its largest contingent at that time, since it first participated, and was considered the best prepared to win a medal. Li Jiawei, together with Feng Tianwei and Wang Yuegu, beat the South Korea Women's Table Tennis team, composed of Dang Ye-Seo, Kim Kyung-Ah and Park Mi-Young 3–2 in the semi-finals, assuring Singapore of at least a silver medal and ending Singapore's 48-year Olympic medal drought. Singapore faced host China in the gold medal final and lost in straight sets but won the silver medal.
  • In the 2012 London Olympics, Feng beat Kasumi Ishikawa from Japan 4–0 in the table tennis women's singles bronze medal match, winning Singapore's first individual Olympic medal in 52 years since Tan won the silver medal at the 1960 Rome Games. In the table tennis women's team bronze medal match, Li, together with Feng and Wang, beat the South Korea team composing Dang Ye-Seo, Kim Kyung-Ah and Seok Ha-Jung 3–0, winning another bronze medal. The two bronze medals won at the 2012 London Summer Olympics marked the first time that Singapore won more than one medal in an Olympiad
  • In the 2016 Rio Olympics, Olympic swimmer Joseph Schooling won a gold medal in the Men's 100 metre butterfly in an Olympics record of 50.39 seconds, becoming the first gold Olympic medallist of Singapore. This was also the first gold medal by a Southeast Asian male swimmer and the first Olympic gold that Singapore achieved. During the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan, Singapore sent 23 athletes to the Games but did not manage to win any medals.
  • In the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, kitefoiler Maximilian Maeder won a bronze medal in the Men’s Kite category at the age of only 17, coming behind second place Toni Vodišek from Slovenia and first place Valentin Bontus from Austria. This makes Maximilian Maeder the youngest individual to win a medal in the Olympics from Singapore.

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02/12/2024

As the years go by

The older I get
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01/12/2024

JB-Singapore RTS Link 2024

Bukit Chagar RTS Station JB to Woodlands North MRT station

Installation of rail systems on track to start from end-2024
When ready, the RTS Link will be able to carry up to 10,000 people an hour in each direction between Bukit Chagar and Woodlands North

The installation of rail systems for the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link is slated to begin from the end of 2024 as scheduled, with good progress being made on both sides of the Johor Strait.

This next phase of work will include laying the tracks, as well as installing the signalling, communications and traction power systems, said Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA), Malaysia’s Mass Rapid Transit Corporation (MRT Corp), and RTS Operations (RTSO).

RTSO is a joint venture formed in 2020 between Singapore rail operator SMRT and Malaysian public transport firm Prasarana to run the 4km cross-border rail shuttle service. More than 80 per cent of the civil infrastructure works have been completed on the Singapore side of the project, and civil infrastructure works in Malaysia have reached 93 per cent completion, the parties said in a joint statement on Nov 29. With the marine and land viaducts almost finished, LTA will be ready to progressively grant RTSO access to the civil infrastructures within Singapore from end-2024.

The remaining works in Singapore, such as architectural works, roadworks and the installation of key systems such as immigration gates, will be done in tandem with the rest of the structural works for the rail link. Additionally, construction work to connect the RTS Link to Woodlands North station on the Thomson-East Coast MRT Line, at Basement 1 of the customs, immigration and quarantine (CIQ) building in Woodlands North, will begin in 2025. Passenger service on the RTS Link is expected to start by December 2026.

related:


Construction work to connect JB-Singapore RTS Link to Thomson-East Coast Line to begin in 2025
Marine viaduct segmental box girders fully launched

As construction on the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link progresses, work to connect it to the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) will begin in 2025.

This will be done at the existing Woodlands North station on the TEL, at basement 1, connecting the RTS Link to Singapore's MRT network. More than four-fifths of the overall civil infrastructure works in Singapore have been completed, authorities said in an update on Friday (Nov 29). The marine and land viaducts are almost completed.

"The remaining works include architectural works, roadworks, installation of electrical and maintenance systems, and other key systems such as immigration gates," Singapore's Land Transport Authority (LTA), Malaysia's Mass Rapid Transit Corporation and RTS Operations (RTSO) said in a joint media release. RTSO - which will run the RTS Link service - is a joint venture company formed between transport operators Prasarana Malaysia and Singapore's SMRT Corporation.



JB-SG RTS Link: Installation of rail systems on track to start soon
When ready, the RTS Link will be able to carry up to 10,000 people an hour in each direction between Bukit Chagar and Woodlands North

The installation of rail systems for the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link is slated to begin from the end of 2024 as scheduled, with good progress being made on both sides of the Johor Strait. This next phase of work will include laying the tracks, as well as installing the signalling, communications and traction power systems, said Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA), Malaysia’s Mass Rapid Transit Corporation (MRT Corp), and RTS Operations (RTSO).

RTSO is a joint venture formed in 2020 between Singapore rail operator SMRT and Malaysian public transport firm Prasarana to run the 4km cross-border rail shuttle service. More than 80 per cent of the civil infrastructure works have been completed on the Singapore side of the project, and civil infrastructure works in Malaysia have reached 93 per cent completion, the parties said in a joint statement on Nov 29. With the marine and land viaducts almost finished, LTA will be ready to progressively grant RTSO access to the civil infrastructures within Singapore from end-2024.

The remaining works in Singapore, such as architectural works, roadworks and the installation of key systems such as immigration gates, will be done in tandem with the rest of the structural works for the rail link. Additionally, construction work to connect the RTS Link to Woodlands North station on the Thomson-East Coast MRT Line, at Basement 1 of the customs, immigration and quarantine (CIQ) building in Woodlands North, will begin in 2025. Passenger service on the RTS Link is expected to start by December 2026.



Malaysia, Singapore ready for RTS link rail installation by year-end
Civil works in Malaysia, covering the maintenance depot, Bukit Chagar station, terrestrial viaducts, and marine viaducts, are 93 per cent completed

Malaysia's infrastructure firms and Singapore will grant RTS Operations Pte Ltd access to the Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link's civil structures to commence rail system installations by the end of the year.

Mass Rapid Transit Corporation Sdn Bhd (MRT Corp), Singapore's Land Transport Authority (LTA), and RTS Operations Pte Ltd (RTSO) confirmed that the civil structures, including stations, tunnels, viaducts, and the maintenance depot, were progressing well as scheduled. "InfraCos was granted earlier-than-scheduled access to RTSO at the RTS Link maintenance depot on 30th September to begin trackwork installation. Additional access to the remaining railway infrastructure will be progressively handed over starting at the end of the year," a joint statement read.

RTSO will undertake critical installation works, including track-laying and the integration of signalling, communications, supervisory control, and traction power supply systems.


JB-Singapore RTS Link nears major milestone as rail systems installation to start soon
An undated photograph shows work on a terrestrial viaduct along Jalan Tun Abdul Razak in Johor Baru, Johor, for the Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link Project

The Johor Baru–Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link Project will begin rail system installations by the end of this year, marking another critical milestone.

In a joint press release, MRT Corp, Singapore’s Land Transport Authority, and RTS Johor-Singapore said infrastructure work on Malaysia side was 93 per cent complete, with early access granted for trackwork installation starting September 2024. Singapore’s progress on the RTS Link civil infrastructure has exceeded 80 per cent, with viaducts nearing completion and architectural works set to continue in parallel.

Consequently, both infrastructure companies will grant access for civil infrastructure works by the end of the year. This would enable RTS Operations Pte Ltd (RTSO) to oversee the installation of tracks, signalling systems, communications, and power supply systems.


Installation of rail systems on track to start from end-2024
When ready, the RTS Link will be able to carry up to 10,000 people an hour in each direction between Bukit Chagar and Woodlands North

The installation of rail systems for the Johor Baru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link is slated to begin from end-2024 as scheduled, with good progress being made on both sides of the Johor Strait. This next phase of work will include laying the tracks, as well as installing the signalling, communications and traction power systems, said Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA), Malaysia’s Mass Rapid Transit Corporation (MRT Corp), and RTS Operations (RTSO).

RTSO is a joint venture formed in 2020 between Singapore rail operator SMRT and Malaysian public transport firm Prasarana to run the 4km cross-border rail shuttle service. More than 80 per cent of the civil infrastructure works have been completed on the Singapore side of the project, and civil infrastructure works in Malaysia have reached 93 per cent completion, the parties said in a joint statement on Nov 29. 
With the marine and land viaducts almost finished, LTA will be ready to progressively grant RTSO access to the civil infrastructures within Singapore from end-2024.

The remaining works in Singapore, such as architectural works, roadworks and the installation of key systems such as the immigration gates, will be done in tandem with the rest of the structural works for the rail link. Additionally, construction work to connect the RTS Link to Woodlands North station on the Thomson-East Coast MRT Line, at Basement 1 of the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) building in Woodlands North, will begin in 2025.


Johor Bahru – Singapore Rapid Transit System Link
A smoother entry to Johor

Crossing the Straits of Johor via a 25m-high bridge from Woodlands North Station (LRT) in Singapore to the Bukit Chagar Station in JB, the Johor Bahru – Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link will help to ease Causeway congestion, improve connectivity, foster people-to-people ties and generate shared economic and social benefits.

The RTS Link will be a standalone Light Rail Transit (LRT) System with the capacity to serve up to 10,000 commuters during peak periods, for every hour and in each direction.

To facilitate a seamless travelling experience, there will be co-located Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) facilities. Passengers travelling in either direction will clear both Singapore and Malaysia authorities at the point of departure and need not go through immigration clearance again at the point of arrival.


JB-S'pore RTS rail project
KL says an LRT system would help reduce costs of rail link

Malaysia is proposing that an LRT (Light Rail Transit) system be used for a 4km cross-border rail project between Johor Baru and Singapore, said Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke yesterday.

Using an LRT system - instead of Singapore's MRT system as originally planned - will help to bring down the costs in terms of the capital expenditures and operations, he told reporters.

Mr Loke expressed confidence the LRT system which Malaysia is proposing for the Johor Baru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link can match the planned capacity of the RTS, which is slated to carry up to 10,000 passengers an hour in each direction during peak periods.



Singapore to JB MRT by 2024
JB-Woodlands RTS to proceed albeit slight delay - MoT

The Ministry of Transport has indicated the government intends to proceed with the four-km Rapid Transit System (RTS) that connects Johor Bharu and Woodlands in Singapore.

But Malaysia may not be able to sign a joint venture (JV) agreement with Singapore before June 30 this year as the government requires more time to study the project details, Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook said at a press conference after his visit to the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) today. "Due to the consistent heavy traffic, the government has on principle agreed to proceed with the project at a cost of RM4 billion, and we will try to expedite the progress while reducing the cost.

"The project will be undertaken by a JV between Prasarana Malaysia Bhd and SMRT Corp Ltd, and the JV agreement was supposed to be signed by June 30 this year, but we think we might need another month to evaluate the details of this project before we sign the JV agreement," he said.


Johor Bahru–Singapore Rapid Transit System

The Johor Bahru–Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link is an international cross-border rapid transit system that will connect Malaysia's second largest city, Johor Bahru and Woodlands, Singapore, crossing the Strait of Johor. It will consist of two stations, with the Malaysian terminus at Bukit Chagar station and the Singaporean terminus at Woodlands North station, which also interchanges with Singapore's Thomson–East Coast MRT line.

Both stations will consist of co-located customs, immigration and quarantine facilities of both countries. When built, the RTS Link will be the second rail link between the two countries after the KTM Intercity's Shuttle Tebrau, between JB Sentral and Woodlands Train Checkpoint. However, the RTS Link is expected to replace this shuttle once it is completed. For Malaysia, RTS Link is the first LRT system outside of the Klang Valley.

A joint operating company between Singapore's SMRT Corporation and Malaysia's Prasarana will be the operator of the link. Construction started on the Malaysian section on 22 November 2020 and on the Singaporean section on 22 January 2021.


Bukit Chagar RTS station
Construction site of the RTS station in March 2024

Bukit Chagar RTS station is an elevated terminal station currently being built in Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia. The station will be located north of Johor Bahru Sentral and forms the Malaysian terminus of the Johor Bahru–Singapore Rapid Transit System. It is scheduled to open by end 2026. When opened, an estimate of 60,000 additional commuters will be able to cross the Causeway during peak hours.

The Bukit Chagar station was announced on 15 September 2015 during the Iskandar Malaysia Comprehensive Development Plan Open Day in a public poll. The other three options were Tanjung Puteri, JB Sentral 1 and JB Sentral 2.

The Bukit Chagar RTS terminal station will be developed adjacent to proposed to be built Bukit Chagar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex and will not be sharing with existing facilities at the Sultan Iskandar Building CIQ complex. The terminal station has been proposed to alleviate the immigration checkpoint movement at Sultan Iskandar Building CIQ complex.


Woodlands North MRT station
Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) terminus - Future Johor Bahru–Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) station

Woodlands North MRT station is an underground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station in Woodlands, Singapore.[5] The station is the northern terminus of the Thomson–East Coast Line (TEL).

It is located at the centre of Woodlands North at Woodlands North Coast Road, off Admiralty Road West, and is adjacent to Republic Polytechnic (RP). The station is envisioned to serve the Woodlands North Coast project, a mixed-use business and lifestyle precinct in the far north of the country designed by Arup and built by JTC.

The station was one of the first three TEL stations to be opened on 31 January 2020 as part of Stage 1. During its construction, plans were made for the station to be linked with the Johor Bahru–Singapore RTS, which was confirmed in 2012. Construction began in 2021, and it will be the Singapore terminus of the RTS when it is completed by 2026.

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