Bernama reported that they are scheduled to visit the Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link project site in the morning and get an update on the project’s progress.

Developed by MRT Corp subsidiary Malaysia Rapid Transit System Sdn Bhd, the 4km rail link between the Woodlands North station in Singapore and the Bukit Chagar station in Johor Bahru will reduce travel time between the two points from the current two to three hours to just 15 minutes.

Once completed, the RTS Link will be the third land bridge to Singapore and will ease some of the congestion at the Johor Causeway.

Anwar and Lee will then proceed to another event to witness the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Malaysia and Singapore on the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ).

The idea was mooted by economy minister Rafizi Ramli after a meeting with the Johor state government at Iskandar Puteri in May last year. A bilateral task force was then set up to study the establishment of the special economic zone.

Johor menteri besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi previously welcomed the idea, saying that its success could lead to the economic zone flourishing like the Chinese city of Shenzhen – which transformed from a city of 300,000 people to a high-tech international metropolis of over 17 million people after four decades.

It was reported that Johor secured RM70.6 billion worth of foreign investments in 2022.

Singapore was the state’s second-largest foreign investor, contributing around 70% of Johor’s total foreign direct investment (FDI) in the manufacturing sector.

Stakeholders hope the new economic zone would further boost cross-border trade and business activities between Malaysia and Singapore and serve as a regional investment hub.