Enhancing the Rapid Transit System User Experience

On the Johor Bahru-Singapore RTS Link project, Ramboll simulates the movement of 20,000 passengers per hour to optimise termini and facilities design

The Singapore and Malaysia governments began in 2018 a joint development to connect the island state and neighbouring Johor Bahru (JB) via a rapid transit system (RTS) capable of a travel time of four minutes. For the Singapore Woodlands North and JB Bukit Chagar termini, Ramboll was engaged to study, evaluate and optimise the station and ensuite facilities design using pedestrian modelling technology.

The study was to include the evaluation of platforms, co-located Customs and Immigration Quarantine areas for both stations, security processes, concourse and ticketing areas, and interchanges with other public transportation and rail networks. Combined with a capacity of 10,000 passengers per hour per direction, the task of optimising termini performance was critical in terms of spatial efficiency, peak-hour movement, safety and user-friendliness.

A More Efficient RTS

Working closely with the termini designers, Singapore’s Land Transport Authority, Immigration and Customs Authority, Ministry of Home Affairs and their Malaysian counterparts, Ramboll established the project’s study parameters and helped develop:

A pedestrian model of the designs that optimise space from a level of service (LOS) perspective
Passenger process spaces of optimum queueing size
Test scenarios using pedestrian microsimulation modelling to evaluate termini performance in various stress conditions

The study outcomes and optimisations resulted in a more efficient RTS termini development that met set KPIs, maintained LOS and accomplished the target throughput of 20,000 passengers per hour. With passenger service expected to commence in 2027, Ramboll is moving the RTS one step closer to achieving its goal of easing cross-border congestion, improving people connectivity and promoting shared social and economic benefits for both countries