Singapore and Malaysia have inked a legally binding bilateral agreement to build a cross-border MRT line that will let commuters travel seamlessly between Woodlands North and Johor Bahru. The signing at the Istana on Tuesday (16^th January) is a concrete step towards the building of the 4km Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link, which is to be completed by 31^st December 2024.

The link is slated to reduce congestion at border crossings between Singapore and Malaysia. This is the second bilateral agreement between both countries in two years, following a deal in 2016 to build a 350km high-speed rail line between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.

When the RTS Link begins service by 2024, commuters can hop on a train every eight minutes on average. Trains will eventually arrive every four minutes on average during peak periods. The line will start with five trains, and gradually have a total fleet of seven trains.

Up to 10,000 passengers per hour can travel in each direction between Johor's Bukit Chagar terminus station and the Singapore terminus in Woodlands North, where it will join the upcoming Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL).

Commuters will be able to transfer from the RTS station to the TEL concourse via an underground link, without needing to exit the station. Like the high-speed rail line, the RTS Link - which will cross the Straits of Johor via a 25m-high bridge - will have a joint customs, immigration and quarantine facility at both terminus stations.

This means international-bound travellers will need to clear customs and immigration only once, when departing from the respective countries. The daily shuttle train service from Woodlands to Johor Bahru will stop operating within six months after the Link opens.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak witnessed the signing of the bilateral agreement on Tuesday (16^th January) by Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure Khaw Boon Wan, who is also Transport Minister, and Malaysia's Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Abdul Rahman Dahlan.

The Rapid Transit System Link will be run by a joint venture formed by rail operators SMRT and Prasarana Malaysia, for the first concession period of 30 years. Construction is expected to begin next year (2019). The project was announced in May 2010, with the completion date initially set for 2018.

In 2015, Malaysia chose Bukit Chagar as the main terminal station for the line, which will use the same rail systems and rolling stock as the 31-station TEL. The TEL will open in phases from 2019 to 2024.