SINGAPORE – A task force has been set up to help Singaporeans and local businesses seize opportunities and reap benefits from the upcoming Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link.
The announcement was made by Health Minister Ong Ye Kung on March 16 at the launch of an initiative at Woodlands North Plaza, where residents can claim vouchers that allow them to buy daily staples for $1.
Mr Ong said he had approached Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong for help in forming a task force to “look into how we can seize the opportunities of RTS... (and) at the same time find ways to cushion the impact for those who are affected.”
Mr Ong said he takes a “very special interest” in watching the developments because Woodlands North station, the terminus of the rail link, is in Sembawang GRC.
While the RTS Link may nudge Singaporeans across the Causeway for shopping, there is an opportunity for Singapore to rejuvenate many of its retail areas and heartland centres to “offer something different that Malaysian shoppers will find coming to Singapore also quite interesting”, said Mr Ong.
He said, however, that there are also those who will be affected.
“If you run shops or you sell things or sell food that directly compete with Johor Bahru’s vendors, I think you can be affected.”
The task force aims to study how Singapore can tap the potential and benefits from the RTS Link to rejuvenate the country’s heartland. It will also consider opportunities for Singapore businesses with the increased connectivity and ease of travel offered by the rail link, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) said on March 16.
It will consult heartland enterprises and local businesses, and aim to put out its findings and recommendations in 2026, the ministry added.
When ready by the end of 2026, the RTS Link can carry up to 10,000 people an hour in each direction between Bukit Chagar in Johor Bahru and Woodlands North in Singapore.
Mr Alvin Tan, Minister of State for Trade and Industry and chairman of the task force, said preliminary work such as meetings with MTI staff, grassroots leaders, the Housing Board, trade agency Enterprise Singapore and merchants’ associations were done in November 2024.
“We are going to take our time to make sure that we listen to all of you, listen to the merchant association... so that we can put together a plan to make sure all of us can reap the benefits of this RTS Link,” said Mr Tan in a speech at the same event in Woodlands.
The task force is made up of members from MTI, the National Development, Manpower and Health ministries, the Urban Redevelopment Authority, Enterprise Singapore, HDB and Woodlands Health.
CMG20250316-PekYL01白艳琳/李思邈/Launch of Merchant Dollar Deal$ at Woodlands [Woodlands North Plaza] Minister for Health Mr. Ong Ye Kung, MP for Sembawang GRC Mariam Jaafar, and Minister of State for Trade and Industry and Minister of State for Culture, Community, and Youth Mr Alvin Tan launching the Merchant Dollar Deal at Woodlands North Plaza on March 16, 2025
Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung (second from left), MP for Sembawang GRC Mariam Jaafar (left), and Minister of State for Trade and Industry Alvin Tan launching the Merchant Dollar Deal at Woodlands North Plaza on March 16.PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
MPs Mariam Jaafar (Sembawang GRC) and Hany Soh (Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC) will work with the task force to engage Singapore businesses, heartland shops and merchants’ associations on ideas to rejuvenate Singapore’s heartland and make them more vibrant, said MTI.
On March 16, about 1,000 residents from Sembawang GRC attended the launch of the MerchantDollarDeal$@Woodlands (MDD@Woodlands) initiative, which allows Woodlands residents in the Sembawang GRC to collect vouchers from various points in the town between March 16 and 22.
More than 5,000 $1 deals will be made available monthly, including those for essentials such as cooking oil, canned drinks, bread and eggs. These can be redeemed at participating merchants, such as supermarkets and stalls in Woodlands North Plaza.
Ms Mariam said the initiative not only helps residents manage concerns over the cost of living, but it is also about the community.
“I hope that MDD@Woodlands will encourage more footfall to heartland shops, and build a strong connection between local businesses and the community.”
Others also came to claim their $50 SG60 BAM (Belanja-A-Meal)@Woodlands card, which can be used to buy meals at participating hawker stalls and coffee shops in Woodlands.
Both initiatives are among programmes to mark Singapore’s 60th birthday.
Customer service manager Francis Quek from Mr Bean said his company will give away 200 to 300 cups of soya milk a month to registered residents, from March to August, for $1 under MDD@Woodlands.
Another participating shop, New Odense(s) Confectionery & Bakery, will be giving out 500 buns and drinks a month in the same period.
Said Mr Danny Koh, 49, who runs the family business that has been in Woodlands North Plaza for the last 28 years: “We’re an SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) and we try to give back a bit. Although the business is not great, we have to help the residents.”
Addressing the media during a speech at the event on March 16, Mr Ong told reporters who were hoping to spot new candidates at Sembawang GRC that he has “no new candidates to introduce”.
“I promise you, the moment I have, I will introduce (them) to you”.
Nevertheless, Mr Ong had said in February that he expects at least one new member to be added to the People’s Action Party team in the GRC at the upcoming election. This is part of the party’s renewal process every election cycle, he said.
The election must be held by November, but is widely expected to take place by mid-2025.
Zaihan Mohamed Yusof is senior crime correspondent at The Straits Times.
Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Thanks for sharing!