The Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link project is expected to serve as a catalyst for economic growth in Johor Baru once it becomes operational in two years, says Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday (Jan 11), the MCA president also highlighted that the signing of the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) agreement between Malaysia and Singapore would further enhance the state’s economic potential.
However, the Ayer Hitam MP stressed that both the state and federal governments must develop a comprehensive long-term plan to address traffic congestion in Johor Baru.
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Speaking to reporters on Saturday (Jan 11), the MCA president also highlighted that the signing of the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) agreement between Malaysia and Singapore would further enhance the state’s economic potential.
However, the Ayer Hitam MP stressed that both the state and federal governments must develop a comprehensive long-term plan to address traffic congestion in Johor Baru.
Read more at https://tinyurl.com/yvdjkhes
WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news
SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar
LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline
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NewsTranscript
00:00The jam at the Causeway, under this President Menteri Besar, he has improved the situation
00:07tremendously.
00:08This one.
00:09But in the long run, you need a long-term solution.
00:14I think RTS was agreed upon by both countries at that time to build it and to be completed
00:25by 31st December 2026.
00:30Now we have officially entered into the fifth year, meaning that all the civil and structural
00:37work and especially the rail work has been completed.
00:42Now the remaining is the rolling stock, testing, commissioning, as well as the CIQ building.
00:50So in this regard, for the next two years, I'm very confident that this can be completed
00:55according to the schedule.
00:58So according to the original schedule, by 1st January 2027, the RTS will be in full
01:07operation.
01:08That will give us a spin-off effect, especially for the retail market in China.
01:15Imagine there's only one CIQ, meaning that if you enter from Woodlands, when you arrive
01:24in Johor Bahru, there's no more customs or any checkpoints here.
01:28That means you only need to clear once.
01:32Similarly, the Singapore immigration will be put here as well, so that once any Malaysian
01:39or foreigners enter into Singapore, they do not have to get the clearance from the Singapore
01:45side.
01:46So with that, I think the capacity of our RTS during peak hour is 10,000 per direction.
01:58So when you have two directions, it's 20,000 at any one hour.
02:03So if this will become the central attraction and the services to be rendered to all these
02:11customers, if they come here, they want to buy things, the entry outlet, the demand
02:19will be very high.
02:20So in this regard, I think that will give a kind of boom or catalyst to the economic
02:30growth in Johor Bahru, especially for the retail market, shopping centres like this.
02:36If the Singapore exchange rate, the Singapore dollar and ringgit, the exchange rate peaks
02:43at 3.3 or any indication of more than 3.3, I'm very sure many Singaporeans will spend
02:54their money here because it's just five minutes away.
02:59You can avoid the jam, you have no problem.
03:02So they come here to enjoy cheaper food, cheaper services here.
03:06So the daily commuting is no longer a big problem.
03:15You take the train, you spend a few minutes, you reach here.
03:20So once you arrive here, within walking distance, five, ten minutes, you reach the place that
03:24you want to go.
03:26So that will be very convenient and it will give the economic impact.
03:32You spur the economy, you activate or you rather make this area very vibrant.
03:41So that's what we want.
03:42So I think Johor should grab this opportunity and more so when the two countries have agreed
03:49on the SEZ and also in a big way we want to develop southern Johor, three or four times
03:57bigger than Singapore.
04:00The potential is huge and I see the great potential in Johor Bahru, especially in this
04:06area, where it's well connected and you don't have to worry about the traffic jam.
04:16You only take the train from Bukit Canggah, by the time you clear the Malaysian consulate
04:24of Singapore, the checkpoint in Bukit Canggah, you only spend a few minutes to reach Singapore.
04:29From there it will lead you to the Thomson North Line, the Singapore SMRT system.
04:37Do you foresee that Johor should also have their own LRT system?
04:43See, when it comes to this, once your RTS is in full operation, it is logical to disperse
04:52the traffic.
04:54Imagine you have 30,000 during the peak hour and you have to disperse this very fast.
05:00So the long-term planning, I believe the state government or federal government, they would
05:05have a long-term plan for this, but it must be implemented fast.
05:11Otherwise it will create a kind of bottleneck effect.
05:15So within the vicinity, you have to dabble, you have to be, it must be well connected
05:23to the road system, whether it's by rail or by public transport, you have to do it.
05:30It's a matter of time, and today we are glad to learn that Penang they have their own LRT.
05:37Even Johor, the potential is huge, and whether the priorities will be given to which line
05:44are that, we leave it to the authority to study.
05:46But it warrants LRT system, in the long run.