Compensation not needed over delay in RTS Link project

Ministry: Compensation not needed over delay in RTS Link project

Malaysia does not have to pay a single sen to Singapore as compensation for the delay in the Johor Baru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS Link) project, says the Transport Minister.

Anthony Loke said this was because no joint venture company (JV) was formed by the two sides on the project.

“The initial agreement that both countries signed previously is just a memorandum of understanding, so the issue of compensation does not arise,” he told reporters after paying a visit to Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Osman Sapian at Kota Iskandar here yesterday.

He said Malaysian officials already informed their Singapore counterparts about the delay of between one and two months, which was caused by the general election and the forming of the new government.

“The project must get approval first, pending cost and other details, but I will bring a memorandum about RTS to the Cabinet as soon as possible,” he added.

Loke said if the Cabinet gave its approval, then the first process was to set up a JV company between Malaysia and Singapore as the RTS Link involved two nations.

“Despite the delay, RTS Link will be completed by 2024,” he said.

In January, Malaysia and Singapore signed the agreement for the new 4.2km RTS Link to transport some 10,000 passengers an hour, or 72,000 passengers a day, in four coaches travelling at 70kph.

The link, with co-located Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex, will provide seamless connectivity between Johor Baru and Singapore.

The RTS Link will run above ground in Johor and on a 25m-high bridge track across the Straits of Johor before travelling underground to Woodlands North.

The June 30 deadline for Prasarana Malaysia Bhd and Singapore’s SMRT Corporation Ltd to form a JV company to operate the RTS Link was missed, as Prasarana Malaysia suspended discussions with SMRT after the general election in May.

Meanwhile, on the Gemas to Johor Baru electrified double-track rail project, Loke said the 197km track was 20% completed.

“The project, to be completed by Oct 31, 2021, will connect the whole west coast from Johor Baru to Padang Besar,” he said.

He said any proposal to add more stations in Johor would need the Cabinet’s approval, as it would bring about a cost hike, which the Federal Government was sensitive about.

~News courtesy of The Star~

RM10 tourism tax to be maintained

RM10 tourism tax to be maintained

THE flat rate of RM10 per room per night on foreign tourists will be maintained, says Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Mohamaddin Ketapi.

“Under the new government, the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry has reviewed implementation of the tourism tax.

“From the review, the implementation of the tax by countries such as the United States, the Netherlands, Italy, Singapore and Thailand, proved that the tax has brought positive growth to the tourism sector in the long term,” he said in a written reply to Datuk Danyal Balagopal Abdullah (PH-Port Dickson).

Mohamaddin noted that Japan and Saudi Arabia had recently implemented the tourism tax.

He said the tax is expected to bring positive impact to the tourism industry through the financing of infrastructure, arts and culture. It is only applicable to foreign tourists.

~News courtesy of The Star~

AirAsia's Ipoh-JB flights take off on Oct 1

AirAsia's Ipoh-Johor Baru flights set to take off on Oct 1

AirAsia's much awaited Ipoh-Johor Baru flights are expected to begin on Oct 1 this year.

Perak Tourism, Arts and Culture Committee chairman Tan Kar Hing said there would be four flights weekly and hoped that more tourists from the south can visit Perak.

"We also hope that tourists from Singapore can come to Ipoh via the airline," he told reporters when met at Weil Hotel here on Wednesday (July 18).

He said this after launching a Singapore-based "Cao Parties: Eat, Stay, Play" tourism promotional programme on Ipoh.

It was reported recently that AirAsia would be setting up shop at the Sultan Azlan Shah Airport with an announced flight to Johor.

AirAsia Group Bhd CEO Tan Sri Tony Fernandes had also on June 18 tweeted: "We opening Ipoh soon, and also looking to restart Kuantan. Would mean we would fly to all local destinations."

The Ipoh-Johor Baru route was not new, having been launched in early 2006 before it was suspended later in September.

One of the reasons Fernandes had cited then was that the runway at the airport in Ipoh had not been extended.

The airport has since been refurbished between April 2011 and November 2012, including the extension of its 1,789m-long runway by another 200m to accommodate larger aircrafts.

Tan also said he hoped to get more airline companies to fly to Ipoh.

"I will hold talks with two companies next month and I hope to get positive feedbacks.

"I will meet with Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd to look into the facilities at the airport, including the current setting there, the information centre and its basic infrastructure," he said.

~News courtesy of The Star~

柔佛旅游好介绍 Johor Travel Deals

柔佛旅游好介绍 Johor Travel Deals

RTS Link project in limbo

RTS Link project in limbo



No progress: The empty plot of land in Bukit Chagar which is supposed to be the station for the RTS Link between Johor Baru and Singapore.

JOHOR BARU: Besides the High Speed Rail (HSR) project, another major project that could be in limbo is the Johor Baru-Singapore Rapid Transit System Link project.

It is learnt that the joint-venture companies tasked with implementing the project were to get the project off the ground by the end of last month.

As such, the time frame set for the project seems to have lapsed.

In January, Malaysia and Singapore signed the agreement for the new 4.2km RTS Link to transport some 10,000 passengers an hour, or 72,000 passengers a day, in four coaches travelling at 70kph.

The link, which was scheduled for completion in 2024, will have co-located the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) complex and provided seamless connectivity between the Bukit Chagar station in Johor Baru and Woodlands North station Singapore.

Sources said a compensation clause would likely require Malaysia to pay damages to Singapore if the project is shelved.

“It looks like there is some level of uncertainty. We hope that both sides will be able to resolve any issue or dispute amicably,” said a source.

Sources said some of the issues that could hamper the project included its design and land acquisition around Bukit Chagar.

Johor Opposition Leader Datuk Hasni Mohamed, when contacted, said the project was important as it would benefit the thousands commuting between both countries.

“Singapore was supposed to pay 70% of the project cost,” he said.

Hasni, the Benut assemblyman and former state exco member, said unlike the HSR project, the RTS project was urgent to address congestion issues at the Causeway.

The RTS Link will run above ground in Johor and on a 25m-high bridge track across the straits before travelling underground to Woodlands North.

It was reported that commuters were expected to spend about 30 minutes to travel and clear Customs and Immigration.

Based on a study done by SPAD in 2016, an average of 4,000 buses, 52,000 cars and 72,000 motorcycles spend at least an hour to get across the Causeway.

~News courtesy of The Star~