Tanjung Puteri Area Guide: Jalan Lumba Kuda, CIQ and Waterfront

You have probably seen the address before: “Jalan Lumba Kuda, Tanjung Puteri, 80300 Johor Bahru.” Maybe on a brochure, maybe on a Google Maps pin a friend sent you. And the natural next question is: what is actually around there, and is this a place I would want to live in, or rent out, for the next ten years? This Tanjung Puteri area guide answers that from street level. It covers where the district begins and ends, the landmarks you will use every week, how you get around, the condos already standing, and the projects that will change the area between now and 2030. Every distance below comes either from published sources or from our own JB amenities map, which measures straight-line distances from each project.

If you want the history of the name and the Bukit Chagar hillside itself, our Bukit Chagar and Tanjung Puteri guide covers it in depth. This page focuses on the practical map: what sits within a 10-minute walk of Causewayz Square and what is changing around it.

Where is Tanjung Puteri in Johor Bahru?

Tanjung Puteri is the historic core of Johor Bahru, running along the Johor Strait from the Causeway checkpoint through the old downtown. It was the original name of the settlement before it was renamed Johor Bahru in 1862, and today it survives as an area name on addresses across the 80300 postcode.

For a homebuyer, it helps to think of Tanjung Puteri as three bands running parallel to the water:

• The waterfront band: the Causeway, the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar CIQ complex and the R&F Princess Cove development, whose mall sits on Jalan Tanjung Puteri itself.
• The transport band: JB Sentral, the RTS Link station at Bukit Chagar on Jalan Tun Abdul Razak, and the hillside roads behind them, including Jalan Lumba Kuda.
• The old-town band: City Square, KOMTAR JBCC and the heritage grid of Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, Jalan Dhoby and Jalan Trus.

All three bands fit inside roughly 1.5 km. That density is the single most important thing to understand about Tanjung Puteri: it is the only part of JB where the border, the rail network and the old city are all walkable from one front door.

Jalan Lumba Kuda: the street where Causewayz Square sits

Jalan Lumba Kuda is a hillside road in Bukit Chagar, inside the wider Tanjung Puteri area, and it is the address of Causewayz Square. “Lumba kuda” simply means “horse racing” in Malay, which makes it one of the more memorable street names in the city centre.

What matters more for residents is position. Jalan Lumba Kuda sits just behind the CIQ and JB Sentral, slightly uphill from the waterfront. EXSIM’s project here is a freehold development on about 7.7 acres, planned with four towers of up to 63 storeys and about 4,525 units in total, with a podium of around 90,000 sq ft of retail space. Piling began on 2 September 2025, the main building contract was awarded in January 2026, and target completion is around 2030. The developer has also proposed a pedestrian link bridge towards the CIQ and RTS; until it is built, treat walking routes as the existing pavements and crossings.

For a full project breakdown, see our Causewayz Square buyer’s guide. For the walk itself, step by step, read Causewayz Square to CIQ and RTS on foot.

Tanjung Puteri amenities and distances (table)

Most daily needs in Tanjung Puteri are within 1 km of Jalan Lumba Kuda. The table uses straight-line distances from our amenities map, with walking-route figures from project materials where they exist. Real walks are always a little longer than a straight line.

What this means for you: a resident can buy groceries, catch a KTM train, clear immigration and, from 2027, board the RTS without needing a car. Few places in Malaysia offer that combination.

Landmarks you will use every week

The most useful landmarks in Tanjung Puteri are the ones linked to each other by bridges, because they let you move between mall, station and checkpoint under cover.

R&F Mall and Princess Cove

R&F Mall sits on Jalan Tanjung Puteri as part of the R&F Princess Cove development and is linked to JB Sentral by an overhead bridge. It opened in March 2019, with a supermarket among its anchors. For residents on Jalan Lumba Kuda it is the nearest full-size mall.

JB City Square and KOMTAR JBCC

JB City Square, completed in 1998, has a five-storey mall and a 36-storey office tower and is linked to the CIQ and JB Sentral. KOMTAR JBCC on Jalan Wong Ah Fook was rebuilt and reopened in 2014. Together they cover cinemas, fashion, dining and services.

The heritage quarter

The streets around Jalan Tan Hiok Nee, Jalan Dhoby and Jalan Trus hold the Johor Bahru Old Chinese Temple, pre-war shophouses, kopitiams and cafés, plus the Pasar Karat evening market. Our guide to living in JB city centre lists the best-known food spots street by street, so we will not repeat them here.

Getting around Tanjung Puteri: transport options

Tanjung Puteri is JB’s transport hub: the checkpoint, the intercity railway, city buses and, soon, the RTS Link all meet here. That gives residents more ways to reach Singapore than anyone else in Johor.

1. RTS Link (from 2027): the Bukit Chagar station connects to Woodlands North in about 5 minutes, with capacity of up to 10,000 passengers per hour in each direction. Passenger service is targeted for February 2027, according to the joint LTA–MOT update of October 2026. Fares have not been announced.
2. Walk to the CIQ and take a cross-border bus: the current routine for many car-free commuters.
3. KTM from JB Sentral: intercity and ETS trains to the rest of Peninsular Malaysia, about 400 m from the RTS station by walkway.
4. Drive: the Eastern Dispersal Link and the city’s main roads link Tanjung Puteri to the North–South Expressway and the suburbs.

But what if you need a car anyway? Many families do. Causewayz Square allocates one parking bay for Types A to D and two bays for Types E and F, and a large public park-and-ride is being built at Bukit Chagar (see below). Our JB to Singapore commute comparison sets out the trade-offs between RTS, bus and driving.

Condos around Tanjung Puteri

Tanjung Puteri’s housing is mostly high-rise, freehold and close to the checkpoint. Completed projects trade and rent today, while Causewayz Square is the largest new launch in the strip.

These are asking rents from listings, not signed leases, and they move with the market. NAPIC data compiled on portals puts R&F Princess Cove Phase 1 at a median of about RM904 psf across 438 transactions from 2021 to June 2026, which gives a sense of how the market values completed homes near the checkpoint. For a fuller picture, see our JB RTS and CIQ rent index and the list of condos near the JB RTS.

What is changing in Tanjung Puteri (2025–2030)

Three verified projects will reshape Tanjung Puteri over the next few years, and all of them are clustered within a few hundred metres of Jalan Lumba Kuda.

1. The RTS Link opens

The RTS Link is the headline change. Trials are scheduled to end on 31 December 2026 and passenger service is targeted for February 2027 (LTA–MOT, October 2026). Trains are planned every 3.6 minutes at peak. Once it runs, Tanjung Puteri becomes a 5-minute train ride from Singapore’s Thomson–East Coast Line at Woodlands North. Track the latest in our RTS Link news page.

2. A RM2.6 billion hub at Bukit Chagar

In February 2025, MRT Corp and Sunway signed a master agreement for a RM2.6 billion mixed-use development on 4.23 acres next to the RTS station, under MRT Corp’s “Rail Plus Property” model. The Star and Malay Mail reported plans for a mall, hotel, serviced apartments, a health and wellness hub and education facilities, plus a park-and-ride with 1,550 car bays and 1,015 motorcycle bays. Part of the car park was targeted to open by November 2026, in step with the RTS launch.

3. JB City Square upgrade

Allgreen Properties, part of the Kuok Group, began a phased asset enhancement of JB City Square in November 2025. It plans a new facade, a 4% increase in floor area to 568,927 sq ft, more than 50 new retailers by the fourth quarter of 2027 and hotel apartments above the mall by the second quarter of 2028. The mall stays open throughout.

What this means for you: by 2028–2030, a resident on Jalan Lumba Kuda can expect a working rail link, a refreshed main mall and a new commercial hub around the station, all within walking distance. Projects can be delayed, so treat dates as targets rather than promises. Our analysis of RTS impact on JB property looks at what transport upgrades have historically meant for nearby homes.

A weekday in Tanjung Puteri: how the pieces fit

The easiest way to judge a neighbourhood is to picture an ordinary day in it. Here is how the landmarks above combine for a resident who works in Singapore, using only the facilities and distances already listed.

• Morning: a short walk downhill to the CIQ today, or to the Bukit Chagar station once the RTS Link runs, then about 5 minutes on the train to Woodlands North.
• Evening: back across the border, groceries at R&F Mall or City Square on the way home, and a swim or gym session at the condo.
• Weekend: breakfast in the heritage quarter, a KTM trip from JB Sentral or a drive to the suburbs, and family visits without anyone needing to collect you from the checkpoint.

What this means for you: the hours a suburban commuter spends in traffic can go back to rest, family or exercise. For an investor, the same convenience is what tenants pay for.

Who Tanjung Puteri suits

Tanjung Puteri suits people who value time and access more than space and quiet. It is the right fit if you recognise yourself in one of these groups:

• Daily Singapore commuters: walking to the CIQ today and to the RTS from 2027 can save a large share of the daily commute.
• Weekend and second-home owners: step off the train and you are home, with malls and food a short walk away.
• Rental investors: completed projects nearby show established asking rents, and many tenants want to live without a car.
• Retirees and city lovers: hospitals, temples, heritage streets and malls are all close.

It may suit you less if you want a garden, a landed home or a very quiet street. In that case, compare it with the Kebun Teh and Taman Century side of town, about a 10-minute drive north, in our Taman Century and KSL City area guide, or look east to Stulang Laut.

Practical tips before you buy in Tanjung Puteri

A few checks will help you judge a Tanjung Puteri home on its real merits:

• Walk the route at commuting time. Go from the site to the CIQ and to the RTS station at 7 am on a weekday. Note crossings, shade and gradient.
• Check your parking allocation. City-centre bays are valuable; confirm how many come with your unit.
• Look at the facing. Some units face the Strait and Singapore, others face the city. Views matter for both own-stay and rental appeal.
• Factor in nearby works. The station hub, the City Square upgrade and Causewayz Square itself will all be under construction for the next few years. Compare their completion targets with your own move-in plans; for long-term holders, the finished malls and facilities are part of the appeal.
• Run the numbers. Use our JB property calculator for stamp duty, legal fees and instalments.

Thinking about a home in Tanjung Puteri? WhatsApp us for Causewayz Square floor plans, a site walk-through and the latest SPA price list.

Sources

• Wikipedia: Johor Bahru landmarks (R&F Mall, City Square, KOMTAR JBCC)
• Wikipedia: R&F Mall
• The Star: Sunway, MRT Corp ink Bukit Chagar hub deal (Feb 2025)
• Malay Mail: RM2.6b mixed-use project planned at JB RTS terminus
• EdgeProp: JB City Square multi-year asset enhancement
• LTA newsroom: RTS Link passenger service targeted for February 2027
• The Edge Malaysia: Causewayz Square
• EdgeProp: Causewayz Square project details

This guide is general information, not financial advice.