RTS Link Opening Delayed to Feb. 2027: Fares and Hours
Passenger service on the Johor Bahru–Singapore RTS Link is now expected to start in February 2027, the operator RTS Operations (RTSO) said on Oct. 2. System tests and trial runs are still due to finish by Dec. 31, but the February date allows for the time needed for third-party safety certification and approvals from both governments, RTSO said (Bernama via NST). Singapore's Transport Minister, Jeffrey Siow, said the aim is to start services before Hari Raya Puasa, which falls on March 10, 2027 (Yahoo News Singapore).
Fares and operating hours have not been announced. The ticket price and the exact opening date will be announced jointly by the Malaysian and Singapore transport ministers, Malaysia's Transport Minister Anthony Loke said in August (The Star). In February he suggested fares could be around $5 to $7 a trip, AsiaOne reported, without saying which currency. That is an estimate, not an approved fare, and we found no announced fare or operating hours as of Oct. 15.
RTS Link at a glance
| RTS Link | What we know |
|---|---|
| Route | Bukit Chagar in Johor Bahru to Woodlands North in Singapore, about 4 km |
| Journey time | About 5 minutes |
| Capacity | Up to 10,000 passengers an hour in each direction |
| Top speed | 80 km/h |
| Immigration | Customs, immigration and quarantine facilities at both stations, so you clear immigration where you start |
| Opening | February 2027, aiming for before Hari Raya Puasa on March 10, 2027 |
| Fare | Not announced |
| Operating hours | Not announced |
| Operator | RTS Operations (RTSO), a joint venture of SMRT and Prasarana |
| Expected ridership | About 40,000 passengers a day |
The route, journey time, capacity and immigration set-up are from RTSO's statement (NST). The speed and length are from AsiaOne, and the ridership figure is from The Star, which gave it for an opening on Jan. 1, 2027.
Why was the opening delayed?
Siow said the plan had been for safety certification and licensing to be completed before the end of 2026, “but it was not to be” (Yahoo News Singapore). Singapore's Land Transport Authority and Malaysia's Ministry of Transport, which grant RTSO the right to operate, said in a joint statement on Oct. 2 that infrastructure works in both countries are “substantially complete” and that the revised timeline depends on RTSO getting independent safety certification and final regulatory approval (AsiaOne).
Loke told The Straits Times that system integration is behind the delay, even though the physical infrastructure work is on schedule (Yahoo News Singapore).
What was the earlier date?
The line had been expected to open at the end of 2026, Yahoo News Singapore noted, and as late as August the target was Jan. 1, 2027 (The Star). Loke had said in April that the opening was on track for January 2027 and that RTSO would present proposed fares to both governments in the third quarter (AsiaOne).
What to watch for next
- The fare and the date: a joint announcement by the two transport ministers.
- Dec. 31: the deadline for RTSO's system tests and trial runs.
- Safety certification and approvals: the independent certificate and the final approval from both governments.
This page will be updated when the fare, operating hours or an exact opening date are announced.
Figures are from RTSO's statement of Oct. 2, 2026, the Singapore and Malaysian transport authorities' joint statement, and reports by Bernama, NST, Yahoo News Singapore, AsiaOne and The Star, and are correct as of Oct. 15, 2026.
