Thursday, 6 October 2011

Study to identify suitable rail link between JB and Singapore

PETALING JAYA: A six-month study is being done to identify the most suitable rapid transit system link between Johor Baru and Singapore.

This was in line with the agreement made between the governments of Malaysia and Singapore when Keretapi Tanah Melayu moved out of Tanjung Pagar in Singapore on June 30, said Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha.

“We are doing a joint study on where the crossings should be and what type – whether underground tunnel or above ground on a bridge or something else,” he said at a press conference after the handover of a mobility van by the Japanese Embassy to the Damai Disabled Persons Association yesterday.

Kong said that on the Malaysian side, the station would be located at Johor Baru Sentral because the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine facilities were available there.

He said the rail transit system would reduce congestion on the road as thousands of Malaysians travel to Singapore each day by bus, taxi, motorcycle and car.

The Straits Times reported that Malaysia and Singapore were seeking a consultant to undertake an engineering study for a rapid transit system linking the two countries.

Singapore’s Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew who visited Kong on Tuesday said both countries would invite tenders at the same time and a joint Malaysian-Singapore team would evaluate and pick one company.

Earlier, Kong expressed concern over the rising number of people who become disabled due to road accidents.

The ministry donated RM10,000 to the association while the Japanese Embassy deputy chief of mission Koichi Ito handed over a mock cheque for RM145,516.

Koichi hoped the mobility van could be used for the disabled to have access to more job opportunities and to make their travels easier.

He also said the grant was approved for the association on March 11, just before the tsunami hit Japan.

Koichi said the Japanese were grateful for the sympathies and the assistance Malaysians had offered to tsunami victims.

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