JOHOR BARU (THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - Malaysian officials on Sunday (Nov 22) held a ground-breaking ceremony for the Rapid Transit System Link (RTS) project linking Johor Baru and Singapore at the Bukit Chagar Immigration, Customs and Quarantine (ICQ) site.

Witnessing the ceremony online were Johor Ruler Sultan Ibrahim ibni Almarhum Sultan Iskandar, Tengku Mahkota Johor Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim, Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Hasni Mohammad and state secretary Datuk Azmi Rohani, who were at Istana Bukit Serene.

Also witnessing the ceremony online was Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong.

Present at the site were Transport Ministry secretary-general Isham Ishak and MRT Corp chief executive officer Mohd Zarif Hashim.

The ceremony marks the start of the construction for the mega project, which covers 4km and is expected to be completed in 2026.

Once finished, the journey between the Bukit Chagar station and the Woodlands North station in Singapore will take only five minutes. The RTS will be able to ferry up to 288,000 people per day.

Those commuting via the RTS Link will require Immigration clearance only at the point of departure, which would either be Bukit Chagar in Johor Baru or Woodlands in Singapore.