Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) has commemorated the pile caps installation works in the Straits of Johor on the Singapore side, for the Johor Bahru – Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link project. The event, which was officiated by Minister for Transport S Iswaran on Friday (24 March), marks another milestone in the project and the next phase of works for the installation of the rail viaduct structure of the RTS Link.
The pile caps, including 161 bored piles, serve as the foundation of the RTS Link viaduct in the Straits of Johor, on the Singapore side. LTA said each pile has a typical diameter of 2 m and is installed at an average depth of 30 m. Once at the required depth, each pile is filled with concrete before the pile cap is casted over the piles. [Scroll down to watch a video of the installation works].
A total of 12 pile caps will be installed on the Singapore side to form the foundation for the piers that support the rail viaduct structure on land and on sea/over water. According to LTA, after all the piers are completed, the launching of the viaduct segments will commence. The 730 m viaduct (on the Singapore side) will be made up of 207 segments, with each span length ranging from 50 m up to a maximum of 110 m.
The RTS Link viaduct stands at a height of 25 m above water level in the middle of the Straits of Johor. On the Singapore side, it transitions gradually to underground tunnels connecting to the RTS Link Woodlands North station.
The RTS Link Woodlands North station will be constructed underground at a maximum depth of 28 m. There will be three storeys, with two basement levels and an underground B3 linkway to the CIQ building.
LTA said the RTS Link Woodlands North station and CIQ building are approximately 10 times the size of a typical MRT station. These facilities will be adjacent to the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) Woodlands North MRT station and be seamlessly connected via an underground concourse.
Construction works for the CIQ building, tunnels and viaduct started in 2021. Works are progressing well and on target to achieve timely completion.
The RTS Link is a 4-km rail shuttle service between the Singapore terminus at Woodlands North station and the Malaysia terminus at Bukit Chagar station in Johor Bahru, with a capacity of up to 10,000 passengers per hour in each direction. The train journey time is estimated to take about five minutes between the two stations.
The CIQ facilities of Singapore and Malaysia will be co-located at the Woodlands North and Bukit Chagar stations, which means that passengers only need to clear the immigration authorities once, i.e. at their point of departure.
When the RTS Link opens for service at the end of 2026, it is expected to be a game changer that will significantly improve connectivity between Singapore and Johor Bahru, and ease congestion along the Causeway.
All images: LTA