PRIME Minister Lee Hsien Loong will visit Johor on Thursday (Jan 11) where he will attend a commemorative ceremony for the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link project, as well as witness the signing of an agreement for the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (SEZ).

The ceremony in the southern Malaysian state, which will also be attended by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, will commemorate the completion of the connecting span between Singapore and Malaysia for the RTS Link, said the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in a statement on Wednesday evening.

The 4 km-long cross-border rail shuttle service was first announced in 2010. When completed, it will connect the Bukit Chagar station in Johor Bahru and the Woodlands North station in Singapore.

The Singapore terminus will be adjacent to the Thomson-East Coast Line Woodlands North MRT station, and will be connected via an underground concourse.

The RTS Link’s four-carriage rail service will have a peak capacity of up to 10,000 passenger per hour in each direction. Construction of the project has already passed the halfway mark, with passenger service expected to commence at the end of 2026. The fares have not yet been announced.

After the ceremony, the two prime ministers will witness the signing of a memorandum of understanding for the Johor-Singapore SEZ. This zone aims to strengthen economic collaboration in the Iskandar development region by “tapping the complementary strengths of both countries and improving cross-border flow of goods, investments, and people”, said PMO in the statement.

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At the last leaders’ retreat held in Singapore last October, PM Lee said that the SEZ should improve cross-border goods flows, which may mean special tax arrangements and bonded warehouses; and the flow of people who work on both sides, with SEZ investor companies also “able to get the personnel they need”. It should also enhance the ecosystem of the Iskandar development region.

PM Lee’s delegation includes Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Trade and Industry Minister Gan Kim Yong, National Development Minister Desmond Lee, Acting Minister for Transport Chee Hong Tat, and Minister of State for Home Affairs and National Development Faishal Ibrahim.