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Johor Bahru-Singapore RTS Link: Construction of Woodlands North station completed

The RTS Link has entered the critical testing and commissioning phase, which precedes its being declared operational
Johor Bahru-Singapore RTS Link: Construction of Woodlands North station completed
The ticketing concourse in basement 1 at the RTS Link's Woodlands North station.
PHOTO: Land Transport Authority

The Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link has reached another milestone with the completion of the Woodlands North station.

Announcing this in a Facebook post on Friday (Sept 4), the Land Transport Authority teased the public with glimpses of how their future RTS journey may look like.

Starting from the pick-up and drop-off point, LTA said the colours and design were inspired by trees, incorporating Woodlands' identity of nature. 

The drop-off and pick-up point at Johor Bahru-Singapore RTS Link Woodlands North station.

On engineering challenges, LTA said the station's foundation presented challenges as construction had to be carried out on a "high volume of hard rock" at the site.

As Woodlands North station is connected to the MRT's Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL), high-capacity drilling machines were used to minimise vibrations that could be felt by TEL commuters.

The contractors also carried out over 600 instances of rock blasting — in small controlled quantities, whenever trains left the station.

At basement 1, commuters can transfer seamlessly to the RTS Link from TEL Woodlands North station, and vice versa, by transiting through a wide and spacious concourse.

The basement 1 concourse where commuters can transfer between the MRT's Thomson-East Coast Line and the RTS Link.

The ticketing concourse at the same floor features floor artwork with various icons symbolising nature, science, friendship and heritage, LTA said.

These are also some of the areas of cooperation between Singapore and Malaysia on a bilateral basis. 

At the Singapore immigration hall at basement 1, security checks will be carried out before commuters head to platforms for departure.

Malaysia's customs, immigration and quarantine (CIQ) facilities are located at basement 2.

Commuters will have to clear immigration only once before they board the train.

They will not have to undergo further immigration clearance upon arrival in Malaysia, said Second Minister for Home Affairs Edwin Tong during the Second Reading of the Cross-Border Railways (Border Control Co-Location) Bill on May 5.

@asiaone Second Minister of Home Affairs Edwin Tong on Tuesday (May 5) described how travellers' journey at Woodlands North RTS Link station would be like - when explaining the need for the Cross-Border Railways (Border Control Co-location) Bill - which will see Malaysian officers deployed in Singapore. #sgnews #Singapore #Malaysia #Border #Trains #Travel ♬ original sound - AsiaOne

Meanwhile, the station's platforms incorporate sustainable features such as high-volume low speed fans to provide hybrid cooling for commuters.

Once passenger service begins, the 4km shuttle from Woodlands North station to Bukit Chagar station in Johor Bahru will operate at a maximum speed of 80kmh and can accommodate up to 10,000 passengers per hour in each direction. 

During the five-minute journey, commuters will come across an aesthetic feature along the viaduct.

It is located at the international border between Singapore and Malaysia and depicts a clasping of hands symbolising the close partnership between the two countries.

The aesthetic feature along the Johor Bahru-Singapore RTS Link viaduct.

This location was also where the RTS test train's first dynamic run on the mainline occurred on Boxing Day last year.

In a separate social media post, Coordinating Minister for Social Polices and Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung, who is also MP for Sembawang GRC, said the RTS Link is a "very meaningful bilateral project" between Singapore and Malaysia.

He was earlier given a tour of the new station, which is located in Sembawang GRC.

@ongyekung

A sneak peek of the RTS at Woodlands North Station!

♬ original sound - Ye Kung Ong

On Aug 18, Malaysia Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the RTS Link had entered the critical testing and commissioning phase, which precedes its being declared operational.

Fare discussion and the actual date of operations commencement are still being discussed, according to Loke.

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