Prime Minister Najib Razak said the bridge solution and the RTS, to improve connectivity and reduce congestion at border crossings, would be finalised by the two countries by the end of next year.
He said the solutions were matters that the leaders of the two countries had deliberated for quite some time.
“We think it is the most cost-effective solution, that’s why we thought of the high bridge solution to integrate it with the Singapore mass rapid transit system.
“By next year, we should be able to finalise it,” he said in a joint press conference after witnessing the signing of a bilateral agreement for the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) project here today.
Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was also present at the press conference.
In a joint statement, the leaders welcomed the progress made on the Johor Bahru-Singapore RTS link project under the Transportation Links Work Group and affirmed the key areas of agreement reached to-date.
When completed, the RTS link would improve connectivity and reduce congestion at the border crossings, it said.
The RTS Link will connect Bukit Chagar, Johor Bahru in Malaysia and Woodlands North in Singapore where passengers can transfer to Singapore’s upcoming Thomson-East Coast Line.
The RTS link will use the four core Thomson-East Coast Line systems to reap economies of scale and will be operated by a corporate entity.
Fares for the RTS link would be market-based and set by the operator and would not be regulated by the governments, the statement said.
The leaders look forward to signing a bilateral agreement on the RTS link by end-2017.
Meanwhile, the HSR agreement signed today formalised the technical, safety and security requirements, commercial, financing, procurement and regulatory frameworks, as well as customs, immigration and quarantine arrangements for the project.
Najib said Malaysia and Singapore will not compromise on border security aspects in relation to the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail (HSR) project.
He said Malaysia and Singapore had found ways to strike the right balance for being passenger friendly without compromising security for the HSR.
“We have found the proper solutions. There will be three common customs,immigration and quarantine (CIQ) facilities. These will monitor movement of people.
“We believe it is a solution which is workable. It is passenger-friendly and at the same time does not compromise on the security aspects. I think we have found the right balance between the two.”
Both leaders had witnessed the signing of a bilateral agreement between Malaysia and Singapore on the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore HSR in conjunction with the
retreat.
The 350km rail line has eight stops at Bandar Malaysia, Putrajaya, Seremban, Ayer Keroh, Muar, Batu Pahat, Iskandar Puteri and Singapore. It will cut rail travel time between Kuala Lumpur and the city-state to 90 minutes as compared to three hours now.
Lee said there was a need to make the Malaysia-Singapore border safe and secure.
“We have hundreds of thousands of people crossing the border every day. It is the busiest international border in the world.
“There is no need to close down the Malaysia-Singapore border due to security problems. We need to manage the problem with close cooperation from agencies on both sides.
“We need this for the HSR and also RTS. We will make it work,” he said.
Meanwhile, Najib said Malaysia and Singapore had agreed to work closely to ensure reliable and adequate water from the Johor River as provided for in the 1962 Water Agreement.
“Climate change has affected the water supply. However, the Johor River Barrage which will be fully operational by March next year will ensure adequate water supply.”