KTM Shuttle Tebrau to end 2027, replaced by RTS Link

Having shuttled passengers between Johor Bahru and Woodlands for the past decade, Keretapi Tanah Melayu‘s (KTM) Shuttle Tebrau service will be withdrawn come 2027, as the Rapid Transit System Link (RTS Link) will fulfil the same function when it opens its doors on January 1, 2027.

Johor public works, transport, infrastructure and communications committee chairman Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh said, as reported by Harian Metro, that one-way tickets for the five-minute, 1.1-km ride cost RM5 to Singapore and S$5 (RM16.60) to JB, and that the service can carry 8,635 passengers daily via 31 trips in both directions.

“However, this service will be withdrawn within six months after the RTS Link starts operating on January 1, 2027. The Shuttle Tebrau trainset will be used to increase the frequency of JB Sentral-Kempas services,” he said in a statement.

RTS Link connects Bukit Chagar in Johor Bahru to Woodlands North. The circa-4-km railway line will effectively be the third bridge between Malaysia and Singapore, with a max capacity of 10,000 passengers per hour per way.

Sounds extremely efficient, although nostalgic train buffs like myself will mourn the loss of yet another diesel-hauled regular passenger service in Malaysia. And what will become of the century-old railway line across the Causeway?

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