After 12 years of shuttling commuters between Johor Bahru and Singapore, the curtain will soon fall on the KTMB Shuttle Tebrau. This 1.1km rail link is set to cease operations entirely by 2027. Its final bow will coincide with the much-anticipated launch of the Johor Bahru–Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link, slated to begin service on 1 Jan that year.
The KTMB Shuttle Tebrau has long been one of the most affordable cross-border options available. Tickets are priced at RM5 for a one-way ticket from JB to Singapore, and S$5 (around RM16.60 to RM17.80) for the return trip.
Despite the price discrepancy, it remains a go-to for many, offering a swift 5-minute journey between JB Sentral and Woodlands. Pre-pandemic, the service was lauded for its efficiency, ferrying over 8.6K passengers daily across 31 scheduled trips, though operations were briefly halted during the COVID-19 crisis.
Johor’s state executive councillor for public works, transport, infrastructure and communications, Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh, confirmed that the Shuttle Tebrau will be phased out within 6 months once the RTS Link is up and running.
However, the train sets won’t be left idle. They’ll be reassigned to bolster the JB Sentral–Kempas corridor, increasing frequency along that route.
The RTS Link itself promises to be a game-changer. Spanning approximately 4km, the cross-border rail will connect Bukit Chagar in JB directly to Woodlands North in Singapore. More than just a railway, it will effectively act as a “third bridge” between the 2 nations, boasting a capacity of up to 10K passengers per hour in each direction.
While the KTMB Shuttle Tebrau prepares for its final stop— a sleeker, speedier chapter in Malaysia–Singapore rail connectivity is already waiting at the platform. For now, commuters will still have 2 years to continue using the train service to travel across Causeway.
As we say farewell to a decade-old staple, we welcome the promise of progress.
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