Upcoming RTS Link spurs mall investment in Johor

New, refreshed projects to capture expected surge in cross-border footfall

- Annabelle Liang Correspondent

An upcoming rail line connecting Woodlands to Johor Bahru is expected to spur a surge of visitors to the Malaysian destination.

The Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link can transport up to 10,000 travellers per hour in each direction.

Meanwhile, the Shuttle Tebrau train service currently operat ing between Woodlands and Johor carries fewer than 10,000 commuters a day. The service will cease after the 4km RTS Link becomes operational in January 2027.

The RTS Link, which is a feature of the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ), is driving investment in malls across the Causeway, Ms Christine Li, Asia-Pacific head of research at Knight Frank, told The Straits Times.

She said: “The surge in cross-border footfall is expected to materially lift retail, hospitality and wellness demand.

“Competition is increasing across the board with the arrival of new developments. Many of the new malls are positioned at the higher end, and mainly target day trippers from Singapore and short term visitors.”

Singapore-headquartered asset manager CapitaLand Investment (CLI) and Malaysian developer Coronade Properties were the latest businesses to announce a mall project in Johor on Nov 24.

Coronation Square Mall will be connected to the Bukit Chagar RTS Link station. Construction of the mall will begin in 2026 and is slated to be completed in 2029.

With a gross floor area of 1.2 million sq ft, the mall has been touted as the Johor city centre’s “largest retail landmark” by CLI and Coronade.