A shuttle train service between Woodlands in Singapore and Johor Baru (JB) in Malaysia opened on Wednesday (Jul 1) to long queues, but it did not appear to ease traffic congestion on the Causeway.
Long lines for the new KTMB service were seen at the JB Sentral station at about 6.00am on Wednesday, with workers making up the bulk of the commuters. Some commuters Channel 8 spoke to said they arrived as early as 5.30am to buy tickets. The tickets for trains departing for Singapore at 5.30am and 7.00am were sold out.
The fares are RM5 from JB Sentral and S$5 from Woodlands, for one-way trips.
Long queues for train tickets seen at the JB Sentral station at about 6.00am. (Photo: Loi Kar Yee)
Despite the large number of commuters crossing the border via the new train service, it did not appear to ease congestion at the Causeway, according to a Channel 8 reporter at the scene.
The shuttle service by Malaysia’s KTM Intercity will run 14 trips between Singapore and Johor Bahru daily, with seven trips in each direction. Commuters whom Channel 8 spoke with said they hoped there would be an increased number of trips during peak periods.
Source: www.channelnewsasia.com
