He said although the government had agreed in principle to the implementation of the RTS project, detailed information still needed to be brought to the Cabinet for approval.
“The government remains committed to implementing the RTS project. In terms of cost, Cabinet approval is needed,” he told reporters after attending a briefing on a new vehicle driving test system at Pusat Latihan Memandu Berjaya Berhad, Taman Perling here yesterday.
Loke said once approval is received from the Cabinet, a joint venture company between Malaysia and Singapore will be set up.
He added that the federal government would not have to pay any compensation to Singapore despite the delay in implementing the project.
“The issue does not arise because we have not signed the agreement yet. It only involves an MoU (memorandum of understanding) that demonstrates our commitment, so there is no compensation,” he said.
The RM4 billion RTS project will operate from Bukit Chagar in Johor to the Woodlands North station in Singapore. It is expected to transport up to 10,000 passengers per hour in each direction when completed in 2024.
Meanwhile, Loke said the Gemas-Johor Bahru electric double tracking rail project was in progress and would likely be completed as scheduled on Oct 31, 2021.
“Once completed, the project will be able to connect the whole west coast from Padang Besar (in Perlis) to Johor Bahru by 2022,” he said.
He also noted the Johor government’s application to increase the number of electric train service (ETS) stations for the double tracking rail project between Kulai and Kempas.
“However, any proposal is subject to Cabinet approval as building more stations will result in an increase in the cost of the project,” he said.
The RM8.9 billion Gemas-Johor Bahru double-tracking project spanning 192km involves the construction of 11 ETS stations including Segamat, Kluang, Labis, Bekok, Paloh, Kulai and Kempas Baru.
In the meantime, Loke said the ministry was looking at a proper mechanism to increase the frequency of trips of Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) services from Johor Bahru to Woodlands to meet the demand of commuters.
“At the moment, there are 31 trips. Any increase will require approval from the Singapore government,” he said.
He added that the ministry was studying the implementation of the vehicle entry permit fitted with radio frequency identification technology at the Sultan Iskandar Customs, Immigration and Quarantine complex to ensure smooth traffic flow there.