The RTS Link timeline runs for 16-plus years: leaders agreed to pursue the link at the May 2010 Leaders’ Retreat, the bilateral agreement was signed in January 2018 (target end-2024), the project was suspended from April 2019 to July 2020 and restructured, construction began in November 2020 (JB) and January 2021 (Singapore), the first train was unveiled in June 2025, and passenger service is now targeted for February 2027. Infrastructure on both sides is described as substantially complete.
The Johor Bahru–Singapore RTS Link looks simple on a map — a 4 km line with two stations — but the RTS Link timeline behind it spans more than a decade of planning, negotiation, a suspension, a redesign and five years of construction and testing. Knowing that history helps explain why the project looks the way it does today, why the target date has moved, and why the final steps are about certification rather than concrete. This page sets out the full dated timeline in one place, phase by phase. If you only need the latest status of the opening, our RTS Link opening date guide covers the 2026 announcements in detail; for a plain-language overview of how the system works, see What is the RTS Link?
RTS Link timeline at a glance
Here is the whole RTS Link timeline in one table, from the first political agreement to the current opening target. Each phase is explained in the sections that follow.
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 24 May 2010 | Leaders’ Retreat: Malaysia and Singapore agree to pursue a rapid transit link |
| 2013 | First phase of joint engineering study completed; Singapore plans to link it with the Thomson Line |
| 2015 | Woodlands North confirmed as Singapore terminus |
| 2016 | Bukit Chagar announced as Johor Bahru terminus |
| 25 Sep 2017 | SMRT and Prasarana sign MOU to form an operating joint venture |
| 16 Jan 2018 | Bilateral Agreement signed; target: passenger service by end-2024 |
| May 2018 | Change of government in Malaysia; project cost placed under review |
| 1 Apr 2019 | Project suspended at Malaysia’s request (extended several times) |
| 31 Oct 2019 | Malaysia confirms it will proceed with a revised, lower-cost plan |
| 30 Jul 2020 | Restated agreements signed at the Causeway; project resumes; target moves to end-2026 |
| 22 Nov 2020 | Groundbreaking at Bukit Chagar, Johor Bahru |
| 22 Jan 2021 | Groundbreaking at Woodlands North, Singapore |
| May 2021 | Systems contracts awarded, including trains from CRRC Zhuzhou |
| Jan 2024 | Connecting span over the strait completed; construction about 65% done |
| Aug 2024 | Malaysian side reported about 83% complete |
| Dec 2024 | Off-site system integration testing begins |
| 3 Apr 2025 | First train delivered |
| 30 Jun 2025 | First train officially unveiled |
| Dec 2025 | Traction power fully energised; first train runs on the mainline |
| Feb 2026 | First test train arrives at Woodlands North |
| May 2026 | Legislation passed for co-located customs, immigration and quarantine |
| Aug 2026 | Testing and commissioning stage under way |
| 2 Oct 2026 | Service target revised to February 2027 |
| By 31 Dec 2026 | Final system tests and trial runs to be completed |
| Feb 2027 (target) | Passenger service, subject to safety certification and approvals |
2010–2017: the idea and the planning years
The RTS Link began as a political commitment in 2010 and spent the next seven years being shaped into an engineering plan. At the Leaders’ Retreat on 24 May 2010, the prime ministers of Singapore and Malaysia agreed to develop a rapid transit system to ease travel across the Causeway.
The following years were about where the line would go and how it would connect:
- 2013: the first phase of a joint engineering study was completed, and Singapore’s land transport master plan proposed integrating the link with the then Thomson Line (now the Thomson–East Coast Line).
- 2015: Singapore confirmed Woodlands North as its terminus.
- 2016: Malaysia announced Bukit Chagar, next to JB Sentral and the existing Bangunan Sultan Iskandar checkpoint, as its terminus.
- 25 September 2017: Singapore’s SMRT and Malaysia’s Prasarana signed an MOU to form a joint venture to operate the line.
The choice of Bukit Chagar was important for JB. It placed the station on the edge of the city centre, within walking distance of the main bus and rail hub and the older commercial district — a location decision that still shapes which neighbourhoods benefit most today.
2018: the bilateral agreement and the first target date
The project became a formal treaty commitment on 16 January 2018, when the two governments signed the RTS Link Bilateral Agreement with a target of starting passenger service by the end of 2024.
At this stage the plan was for the RTS to use the same train system as Singapore’s Thomson–East Coast Line and share its Mandai depot in Singapore. Prasarana and SMRT accepted the letter of offer for the joint venture in February 2018. Then, in May 2018, Malaysia held a general election that brought in a new government, which announced a review of several large infrastructure projects on cost grounds — the RTS Link among them.
2019–2020: suspension, review and a redesigned project
The project was suspended from 1 April 2019 to 30 July 2020 while Malaysia reviewed costs, and it re-emerged as a leaner, standalone system. This is the single biggest reason the opening moved from end-2024 to the later dates we see today.
- May 2019: a supplemental agreement formalised a six-month suspension to 30 September 2019.
- Late 2019: further extensions followed; on 31 October 2019 Malaysia confirmed it would proceed with a revised, lower-cost plan.
- May 2020: a final three-month extension to 31 July 2020 was agreed.
- 30 July 2020: at a ceremony at the Causeway, witnessed by both prime ministers, the governments signed the amended agreements and the project resumed.
The restructured RTS Link changed in several ways that define what will open in 2027:
| Aspect | Before (2018 plan) | After (July 2020) |
|---|---|---|
| System | Shared Thomson–East Coast Line system | Standalone light rail (LRT) system |
| Depot | TEL Mandai Depot, Singapore | New depot at Wadi Hana, Johor Bahru |
| Malaysian infrastructure company | Prasarana Malaysia | Malaysia Rapid Transit System Sdn Bhd (MRT Corp) |
| Capacity | Up to 10,000 pax/hour/direction | Unchanged |
| Operator | JV planned | RTS Operations Pte Ltd, initial 30-year concession |
| Target start | End-2024 | End-2026 |
For JB, the redesign had a lasting upside: the depot moved to Johor Bahru, and the line kept its full planned capacity of 10,000 passengers per hour in each direction.
2020–2024: groundbreaking and construction
Construction started within months of the resumption and progressed largely to plan. Malaysia broke ground at Bukit Chagar on 22 November 2020, and Singapore held its groundbreaking at Woodlands North on 22 January 2021, where the Transport Minister reaffirmed the end-2026 target.
Key construction milestones from this phase:
- Late 2020 to early 2021: civil contracts awarded for stations, tunnels, viaducts and the CIQ buildings on both sides.
- May 2021: systems contracts announced, including eight four-car trains from CRRC Zhuzhou; Siemens later supplied signalling and platform screen doors.
- January 2024: the connecting span joining the Malaysian and Singapore sections over the strait was completed, with overall construction reported at about 65%.
- August 2024: Malaysia’s Transport Minister reported the Malaysian side at about 83% complete. At the same time MRT Corp announced commuter parking plans around Bukit Chagar.
- December 2024: off-site system integration testing started at Singapore’s rail test centre.
2025: trains arrive and testing begins
2025 was the year the RTS Link became something you could see moving. The first train was delivered on 3 April 2025 and officially unveiled on 30 June 2025, when Singapore’s MOT said passenger service was targeted by December 2026.
Through the second half of the year the system moved from construction into live testing: traction power was partially energised in October 2025, a second train arrived in November, power was fully energised on 9 December 2025, and the first dynamic run on the mainline took place on 26 December 2025.
2026: final testing, legislation and the February 2027 target
In 2026 the focus shifted from building to proving the system is safe and ready. A test train reached Woodlands North in February 2026, legislation allowing co-located CIQ at both stations was passed in May 2026, and by August 2026 the Malaysian Transport Minister said the station, CIQ complex and building were physically complete and the project had entered testing and commissioning. In September 2026, LTA released photos of the completed Woodlands North station.
On 2 October 2026, the two governments announced that passenger service is now expected in February 2027, to allow time for independent safety certification and regulatory approvals; final trial runs are due by 31 December 2026. We keep the full detail of that announcement, the ministers’ comments and the fare outlook in our RTS Link opening date guide rather than repeating it here.
How the RTS Link target date has moved
Across the RTS Link timeline, the target date has moved three times, and each move had a different cause. Seeing them together puts the latest change in context:
| Target | When set | Why it changed |
|---|---|---|
| End-2024 | Bilateral Agreement, Jan 2018 | Project suspended 2019–2020 for cost review and redesign |
| End-2026 | Resumption, Jul 2020 | Construction largely on schedule; final certification needed more time |
| January 2027 (mentioned by Malaysian ministers in 2026) | 2026 statements | Buffer added for independent safety evaluation and approvals |
| February 2027 | Joint statement, 2 Oct 2026 | Current target, subject to certification |
The pattern is reassuring for anyone planning around the line: the big delay came from a political review before construction began; once building started in 2020, the major milestones were largely met, and the latest shift is a short buffer for safety sign-off.
What the RTS Link timeline means for homebuyers
For property buyers, the RTS Link timeline is a reminder to match a project’s completion date with the transport it depends on. A line that is already running when you get your keys removes the guesswork; a line that is still years away adds it.
Here the timing works in buyers’ favour around Bukit Chagar. Causewayz Square at JBCC Johor Bahru by EXSIM — the project many buyers call “Exsim CIQ” — is a freehold development about 800 m from RTS Bukit Chagar and about 600 m from JB CIQ, with a target completion around 2030. If the RTS opens as targeted in February 2027, owners would move in after the line has been operating for roughly three years. The developer has also proposed a pedestrian link towards CIQ and the RTS (proposed, not yet confirmed). In Kebun Teh, The Asteriaz and The Celestz, expected around 2029–2030, are about a 10-minute drive to CIQ with a proposed shuttle; they are not walkable to the RTS.
To see how completed and upcoming homes compare by distance to the station, use our condos near the JB RTS station shortlist and the project comparison. Historically, homes near major transit nodes have tended to attract steady tenant interest, but every purchase should be judged on its own numbers. For the latest SPA price list on EXSIM projects, WhatsApp us.
Sources
- Land Transport Guru: RTS Link project history and milestones
- MOT Singapore: Joint statement on resumption of the RTS Link project (30 Jul 2020)
- MOT Singapore: Minister’s speech at RTS Link groundbreaking (22 Jan 2021)
- The Star: RTS Link progress in Johor Bahru reaches 83% (20 Aug 2024)
- Mothership: RTS Link delay explainer and project history (Oct 2026)
- Malay Mail: RTS Link enters testing and commissioning (18 Aug 2026)
- LTA: RTS Link service targeted for February 2027 (2 Oct 2026)
This guide is general information, not financial advice.