GELANG PATAH • Work on the Johor Baru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link project is expected to start in November, said Johor Menteri Besar Hasni Mohammad yesterday.

He said Malaysia and Singapore would be signing the agreement on the project - linking Bukit Chagar in Johor Baru with Singapore's Woodlands North station on the Thomson-East Coast MRT line - at the end of the month.

"The long-awaited project will boost Johor's economy, as it will create an economic spillover, especially in Iskandar Malaysia," he told reporters.

Datuk Hasni said the train depot for the maintenance of the train coaches would be built at a site in Wadihana in Johor Baru, instead of the initial plan to build it in Mandai in Singapore.

He said the train depot spans about 2.83ha, and added that it would create between 400 and 500 jobs for locals.

Last week, Senior Minister for Economy Azmin Ali said Malaysia was confident of meeting Singapore's July 31 deadline for discussions on the RTS project.

He said there were two remaining unresolved issues related to the project, which a technical committee will discuss at a meeting today.

Datuk Seri Azmin declined to reveal what the two outstanding issues are.

A spokesman for Singapore's Ministry of Transport confirmed last week that the two countries had been in intensive discussions on the project.

"Like Malaysia, we are optimistic that the discussions on the outstanding matters can be concluded by the 31 July, 2020 deadline," the spokesman said.

The rail project has been suspended since April last year to allow Malaysia to review it and suggest changes for Singapore's consideration.

The project was first announced in 2010. A bilateral agreement was signed in January 2018 to build the link by Dec 31, 2024.

THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK