First train unveiled for Johor Bahru-Singapore RTS Link; service will run from 6am to 12am
Manufactured by China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CCRC), each train will have a standing capacity of 607 passengers, and can carry up to about 1,000 passengers at peak hours.
The first trains will depart from each end of the line at 6am, while the last trains will depart at 12am each day. The line is expected to have a peak capacity of 10,000 passengers an hour in each direction.
The 4km journey between Woodlands North and Bukit Chagar in Johor Bahru will take about 5 minutes, with the shortest wait for a train being 3.6 minutes.
There will be a total of eight trains when the RTS Link starts service at the target date of December 2026, the transport ministries of Singapore and Malaysia said in a joint press statement.
The first train was assembled at CCRC's facility in China, and delivered to Jurong Port on Apr 3. Since then, it has been at the Singapore Rail Test Centre preparing for offsite system integration testing.
During this phase of testing, operator RTS Operations will check the integration between the train and other rail systems, most critically the signalling system, as well as platform screen doors and onboard communications.
Offsite testing will start in July and take about four months, before the train is moved to the RTS Link tracks for onsite testing with the seven other trains.
Of the remaining seven trains, four have been delivered to CCRC's facility in Malaysia's Batu Gajah and are being assembled there. This process will be replicated for the last three trains.
FIRST LOOK AT THE TRAIN
Media were given a preview of the RTS Link train by RTS Operations, a joint venture between SMRT RTS and Prasarana RTS Operations.
The driverless train runs at a maximum speed of 80kmh and is powered by a Grade of Automation 4 (GoA4) system, which refers to a system that runs fully automatically without any operating staff on board.
The deployment of staff on board the trains for other purposes, such as customer service, is still under consideration.
Each train is 76m long and 2.7m wide, and consists of four cars with three doors on each side. There are a total of 126 fixed seats and 16 pop-up seats.
When passengers arrive at the station to start their journey, they will pass through automatic fare gates with an open-loop payment system that accepts various forms of payment.
They will then pass through all the necessary immigration and customs checks at the station where they are boarding.
For example, passengers taking the RTS Link from Woodlands North will pass through Singapore's immigration checks, followed by Malaysia's, before boarding the train for Bukit Chagar.
This is to prevent the build-up of crowds at the destination station, where passengers can simply exit after passing through the fare gates.
Due to the short duration of the journey, passengers are expected to hold on to their own luggage, and there are no racks for storage.
In a first for trains in Singapore and Malaysia, RTS Link trains will feature a hearing induction loop system that allows passengers with hearing aids to hear public announcements on the train.
The move is meant to enhance safety and inclusivity on board.
Other security measures include cameras on the train, and boxing up of the areas below the seats, in order to reduce areas where objects can be hidden.
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Here's what you need to know: Franchise Programme Franchise fee starting from S$30,000 S$40,000 security deposit (refundable upon exit) Must be able to work shifts on weekends and public holidays (six-day work week) Open to Singaporeans or Permanent Residents (PRs) only, aged 21 and above Franchisepreneur Programme (Fresh Graduate Track) S$20,000 security deposit (refundable upon exit) Must be able to work shifts on weekends and public holidays (six-day work week) Open to Singaporeans or PRs aged above 21 For fresh tertiary graduates or professionals with less than six years of working experience You can fill out the application form here, and for more information, visit: We wish you all the best! And if you'd like to watch Jaymes in action and hear more about his journey, here's the full feature on CNA Insider's Money Mind episode below: So yes, indeed, if 'you're determined enough, you can do anything,' as Jaymes encouraged, which is something Reshveen Rajendran's mother also told him when he suffered a stroke: 'I had a stroke; my entire left side paralysed, but my mum told me, 'Son, you can do anything'' — SG man recalls the words that drove him to become a self-made millionaire
