JOHOR BARU: - A rail-coach service will be introduced next Monday by Malaysian railway operator KTM, linking Danga Bay Mall near the Causeway to the Tanjong Pagar train station.

This makes the mall in Jalan Tun Razak the first shopping complex in southern Malaysia to have its own train platform, the New Straits Times reported.

There will be eight services daily, and the trip will cost $3 from Singapore and RM3 (S$1.25) from Johor Baru.

The journey will take about 90 minutes, including immigration clearance, said Johor Tourism Action Council general manager Jabar Tahir.

'It's convenient, fast and easy,' he said.

Trains will depart from Singapore from around 5.30am to 7pm. They will leave Johor Baru from around 9am to 8pm. On average, each train will ferry up to 200 passengers.

The mall's management is also providing a free bus service for city tours from the mall.

The rail service will be seen as a way to attract Singaporeans to the mall. Despite a slowdown in the economy, Singaporeans continue to be the top money spenders in Malaysia.

Statistics from the 2008 Malaysia Mega Sale carnival showed that Singaporeans spent RM62.8 million in credit card transactions, followed by Indonesians, RM41.6 million.

An estimated 10.5 million Singaporeans visited Malaysia last year.