In a historic move, Singapore and Malaysia have agreed to series of measures to further improve upon bilateral relations. In the spirit of enhancing ties towards a win-win situation, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak issued a joint statement on 24th May 2010 on an exciting list of initiatives which will bode well into the future for both Singaporeans and Malaysians.
Measure #1: Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) station will be relocated from Tanjong Pagar to the Woodlands Train Checkpoint (WTCP) by 1 July 2011.
Why this will work out:
i. The land KTMB is currently sitting on at Tanjong Pagar is at a prime district, just kilometers away from Singapore’s Central Business District (CBD). Relocation of KTMB will release the land around it for residential or office space development, and the proceeds will be shared by both Singapore and Malaysia. Value of the land is unlocked.
ii. Relocating KTMB to Singapore reduces maintenance cost for maintenance of railway track from Tanjong Pagar to Singapore and more importantly, area around the track (some 20km of them!) can also be developed.
iii. Less fatalities for Singaporeans who like to jay-walk across the track.
Measure #2: Introduction of 8 new bus routes, effectively doubling the number of bus services plying Singapore and Johor Bahru. Cross-border scheduled bus services will be doubled with the introduction of 8 new additional routes (4 from each side) between Pasar Bakti and Larkin in Johor and the two Integrated Resorts, Boon Lay, Yishun, Newton and Changi Airport in Singapore
Why this will work out:
i. Increased trade and tourism. For example: Singapore’s Integrated Resort will be able to draw more visitors while this means easier access to Iskandar Malaysia region to Singaporeans.
ii. You might finally be able to get a seat on SBS 170 or TIBS 950.
iii. Travel to Johor Bahru will no longer just be an exclusive past-time for Woodlanders.
Bad causeway jam - soon a thing of the past?
Measure #3: Cross border taxi services will be liberalised with taxis being allowed to pick up and drop off passengers from any location on the domestic leg of that journey, instead of only at the designated taxi terminals
Why this will work out:
i. You can finally drop off at Yishun or Tampines (instead of Queens Street Read on…
May 25th, 2010
Qing Ming Festival (清明节) usually occurs on the 4th, 5th or 6th of April. This year, Qing Ming Festival will occur on the 5th Apr 2010.
As an opportunity for both young and old to honour their ancestors, many people will be making the effort to sweep the tomb, offer food, wine and also burn joss paper. This calling means traveling -AND- braving the bad causeway jam for those whose ancestor tombs are in Malaysia.
Many Singaporeans and PRs in their 30s – 50s have their ancestors from the Johor region which includes Muar, Cha-Ah, Kluang and Segamat. This year will be no different from the previous years – expect bad traffic jams to occur on the preceding weekend before Qing Ming and on Qing Ming festival itself. This translate to expected heavy conditions today (2nd Apr), 3rd Apr (Sat), 4th Apr (Sun) and 5th Apr (Mon).
Limsimi.com - Heavy Congestion at Woodlands Checkpoint (2010-04-02)
And because the eventual destination will not be Johor Bahru city (not a lot of tombs located here!), most people might also opt to utilise the Second Link – thus expect both checkpoints (Woodlands and Tuas) to be congested, starting at… 5am (no kidding!). Relatively, Tuas should have a lighter traffic so do check out LTA webcams for more details before planning your journey (also available on our home page).
It is notable that traffic conditions will also be exacerbated due to the Good Friday long weekend and Sepang F1 Grad Prix in KL Read on…
April 2nd, 2010
We last reported on Apr 2009 that usage of CPF (Medisave) might soon be possible in Malaysian hospitals.
Less than 1 year since our initial posting, the Singapore Government acted fast and in Feb 2010, the Ministry of Health (MOH) declared officially that Singaporeans will be able to use CPF Medisave for payment in 12 hospitals/medical centers in Malaysia starting 1st March 2010. The nearest of these 12 hospitals/medical centers to Singapore is the Regency Specialist Hospital located in Johor Bahru (Regency is just an hour’s drive from Singapore or just 25 minutes away from the Johor Bahru CIQ).
With the medical bills in Malaysian hospitals expected to be some 20%-35% cheaper compared to Singapore hospitals, this is good news for Singapore citizens who now have an alternative in managing escalating health care costs. To top it up, these 12 hospitals and medical centers in Malaysia are actually owned by 2 health care group in Singapore: Health Management International (HMI) and Parkway Holdings. Expect a certain standard of medical health-care and facilities to be provided Read on…
February 18th, 2010
