How your JB mall experience will change when the RTS Link opens in end-2026

JOHOR BAHRU – When the Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link opens by the end of 2026, passengers travelling from Singapore to Johor Bahru will be able to walk directly to nearby malls and amenities without stepping onto the street.

However, the full pedestrian network connecting Bukit Chagar station to the rest of the city centre will not be completed until 2030.

Municipal plans seen by The Straits Times show that five overhead pedestrian bridges will connect the station to key locations.

These consist of the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI) Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex, the JB Sentral transport hub, Persada Johor International Convention Centre and two upcoming mixed-use developments.

What will be ready on Day 1

Two of the bridges will link the RTS Bukit Chagar Immigration, Customs and Quarantine complex to JB Sentral and a taxi waiting area near BSI along Jalan Jim Quee, Malaysia Rapid Transit Corporation (MRT Corp) chief executive Mohd Zarif Hashim told ST.

“These are targeted for completion in line with the RTS Link by Dec 31, 2026, ensuring that essential pedestrian connectivity is operational from day one,” he said.

From JB Sentral, existing elevated walkways lead to shopping spots such as City Square mall, Komtar JBCC and R&F Mall.

Malaysia’s state-owned MRT Corp is the developer of these two bridges, and its subsidiary, Malaysia Rapid Transit System, is the developer of RTS Link’s infrastructure on the Malaysian side. MRT Corp was unable to disclose the cost of building the two bridges.

Malaysian Transport Minister Anthony Loke, who visited the RTS site on April 3, said the pedestrian link between Bukit Chagar and JB Sentral has already been completed, while the RTS station is pending completion.

In a Facebook post the next day, he described the bridge as “a very important point” in the project, noting that passengers arriving via the Electric Train Service (ETS) from Kuala Lumpur will be able to transfer to the RTS through this link. ETS launched its JB-KL route on Dec 12, 2025.

What comes later

A third bridge connecting JB Sentral to Persada is expected to be completed by 2028, while two additional bridges serving future developments are targeted for completion by 2030. However, municipal sources said the timelines for all three are not finalised.

Once all five bridges are completed, they will form a continuous loop.

In August 2024, Mr Loke said the federal government allocated more than RM200 million (S$64 million) to improve road access to Bukit Chagar. This included building flyovers and upgrading major roads to ensure smoother traffic flow into the CIQ complex ahead of the RTS opening.

Expect congestion – for years

City officials said the elevated walkway network is part of broader efforts to reduce congestion around the Bukit Chagar station. In the meantime, commuters should avoid driving to Bukit Chagar and use public transport instead, particularly in the early years of the RTS.

Other measures include increasing public bus services and restricting the use of Jalan Jim Quee – a key access road to the RTS station, JB Sentral and the BSI complex – to public buses and taxis only. Private-hire vehicles, such as those driving for Grab, will not be allowed to pick up passengers there.

Johor Bahru City Council’s urban transport director Mohd Rafi Jasma said a park-and-ride system is also being planned, where commuters can park at malls and commercial centres in JB and take a bus or taxi to the area.

He noted that the area is currently prone to heavy congestion, especially during peak hours, when people park along the roadside to pick up family members returning from Singapore.

“As the road is shared by buses, taxis and even parking for immigration officers, it slows traffic and affects public transport movement,” he said.

The Johor government’s plans for an elevated bus or tram system meant to disperse traffic from the RTS Link have yet to receive the go-ahead from the federal government.

State executive councillor for transport and infrastructure Fazli Mohamad Salleh told Bernama in February that a study found Johor Bahru to be the fourth-most congested city in Malaysia, adding that it is set to face “several years” of congestion because of the delay in receiving approval.

The RTS Link project linking Singapore’s Woodlands North station to Bukit Chagar in downtown Johor Bahru is designed to carry up to 10,000 passengers per hour per direction, to ease traffic congestion on the Causeway.