First RTS Link train set unveiled
Loke Siew Fook and Singapore's acting transport minister Jeffrey Siow inspecting the first train set for the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System. (Bernama pic)
PETALING JAYA : The first of eight train sets for the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link was unveiled today by transport minister Loke Siew Fook and his Singaporean counterpart, Jeffrey Siow.
The transport ministries said the train sets will undergo off-site testing, which is scheduled to be completed in the fourth quarter of this year, Bernama reported.
The tests will be conducted by RTS Operations Pte Ltd (RTSO), a joint venture between Prasarana RTS Operations Sdn Bhd and SMRT RTS Pte Ltd. RTSO will also operate the RTS Link service.
RTSO, the ministers said, will check the integration between the train and other rail systems, including the signalling system, platform screen doors and onboard communications.
'Carrying out an initial round of off-site testing at Singapore Rail Test Centre (SRTC) allows RTSO to identify and resolve potential integration issues early, before commencing testing of the trains on the RTS Link tracks,' Bernama quoted Loke and Siow as saying.
Separately, RTSO chairman Khairil Anwar Ahmad said Train 01, which arrived in Singapore in April, will undergo offsite system integration testing at the SRTC in preparation for full integration and operation.
Train sets 02 to 05 have been transported to China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation's manufacturing facility in Batu Gajah, Perak, where they are being assembled, he said.
Train sets 06 to 08 will undergo the same process, Khairil added.
'Once the assembly process is completed, these train sets will be transferred to the Wadi Hana Depot in Johor Bahru for further testing and final preparations before being commissioned for passenger service,' Khairil said.
The RTS Link, targeted to begin passenger service by December 2026, will connect Bukit Chagar in Johor Bahru with Woodlands North in Singapore.
Once launched, the RTS Link will operate with eight driverless train sets, each comprising four cars and capable of carrying over 600 passengers a trip.
The RTS Link will have an overall peak capacity of up to 10,000 passengers per hour per direction.
Meanwhile, in a statement, MRT Corp said as of May 31, track installation and structural works for key components of the RTS Link project — namely the Marine Viaduct, Bukit Chagar Station and Wadi Hana Depot — have been completed.
Interior works at the Wadi Hana Depot are now 80% complete and on track to achieve full completion by October this year, while installation of the Bukit Chagar Station's iconic roof facade is currently under way.
It also said the Immigration, Customs and Quarantine Complex is progressing well, with superstructure works now at 90% completion, while facade installation is slated to begin in September 2025.
'As per the terms of the bilateral agreement, the next key milestone will be the dynamic testing of the RTS train system, scheduled for May 2026.
'This critical phase will see the train operating along the full alignment from the Wadi Hana Depot through to the stations, paving the way for operational validation and readiness.'
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