Passengers using the Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link will still be able to use their regular passports for immigration clearance, with QR codes offered as an alternative through the digital system.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the QR code system would not be the only option available at the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex at the RTS Link Bukit Chagar station.
“Regular passports can also be used. The QR code is an option for travellers, but they can also use their regular passports,” he told reporters after a media visit to the RTS Link project at Bukit Chagar today.
Loke said standard operating procedures for border control, including contingency measures in the event of a digital system disruption, fall under the jurisdiction of the Border Control and Protection Agency (AKPS) and the Immigration Department.
Meanwhile, AKPS director-general Datuk Seri Mohd Suhaily Mohd Zain said 640 officers and personnel from the agency would be stationed at the Bukit Chagar CIQ Complex.
He said the manpower would be sufficient to handle various situations, including possible disruptions involving the electronic gate system.
“Manpower is always available to mitigate such circumstances. As this location is close to the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI), assistance can also arrive quickly,” he said.
More than 400 of the 640 AKPS personnel currently undergoing training at the Police Training Centre (Pulapol) in Segamat are expected to report for duty at the station from October.
They will then undergo orientation and simulation programmes until December, covering passenger movement, train operations and the performance of scanning equipment ahead of the RTS Link’s scheduled launch in early 2027.
Suhaily said authorities must be fully prepared for the anticipated passenger volume, which is estimated to reach around 10,000 people per hour.
“We need to understand the system, the buildings and passenger flow. Everyone is aware that the estimate is about 10,000 people an hour, so we need to be ready,” he said.
