Southern Integrated Gateway

The Southern Integrated Gateway (Malay: "Gerbang Selatan Bersepadu"), is a Malaysian national project involving the construction of the Johor Bahru main railway station and a new customs, immigration and quarantine complex (CIQ) at the Malaysia-Singapore Border. The station and complex will become the main transportation hub of Johor Bahru and southern Peninsular Malaysia. The Malaysian Public Works Department is responsible for the design and construction of this project, while Gerbang Perdana Sdn Bhd is the main contractor. This megaproject is part of the Iskandar Malaysia. It was announced in February 2008 that the constructions has been completed government agencies has started moving into the complex. It is expected that the complex will be opened to light vehicles and be fully operational by 1 May 2008 [ [http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/NST/Monday/NewsBreak/20080211155443/Article/index_html Bukit Chagar CIQ to start operations in May] ] .

Benefits of the project

The project seeks to improve the traffic flow within Johor Bahru Central Business District. Besides that, the regional road network will be enhanced by the linking of CIQ complex to the North-South Expressway via the Johor Bahru Inner Ring Road. The project will also improve the transportation link between Johor Bahru and Singapore, which is urgently needed.

This project would also attract Singaporean tourists to Johor Bahru and the rest of Johor because of the improved transportation link which increases convenience and decreases travelling time.

This project will also complement the country's aspiration of creating a premier and modern southern gateway to Malaysia and Asia.

The Southern Integrated Gateway is expected to reduce air pollution of the Johor Bahru city area.

A significant reduction in sea travelling time from the eastern part to the western part of the Straits of Johor and vice-versa will indirectly promote security control at the border. This benefit is doubtful at the present because the bridge project has been stopped.

History

Events

*end of 2002: The new CIQ complex is proposed.
*early of 2003: The Lumba Kuda flats and other structures including Kampung Ungku Mohsin and Bukit Cagar recreational park are demolished.
*14 February 2003: The Southern Integrated Gateway is officially launched by the then Malaysian prime minister, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad.
*2 December 2003: Construction of CIQ complex begins.
*10 March 2006: The pilings for the new scenic bridge are completed.
*12 April 2006: The construction of the new Tanjung Puteri road bridge replacing Malaysian side of causeway was cancelled.
*26 April 2006: The RM250mil eight-lane straight elevated permanent link from Causeway to the new CIQ complex in Bukit Chagar has been proposed by the Ministry of Works and Gerbang Perdana Sdn Bhd.
*30 July 2006: The new Johor Bahru maglev monorail transit system is being planned by Johor State Government. It will connect JB Sentral to Tebrau City in the east and JB Sentral to Skudai in the west.
*September 2006: The route for heavy vehicles from/to Singapore to/from the old Tanjung Puteri Customs Complex will be closed to all heavy vehicles to make away for the construction of the eight-lane straight elevated permanent link. [http://www.gerbangperdana.com.my/portals/gp06//gallery/20070118/20070118_07.jpgSee image here]
*18 January 2007 – The construction of the short term access (STA) temporary road has begun.
*1 June - 30 June – Beam launching works for Tanjung Puteri Bridge (part of Short Term Access (STA)).
*1 July 2007 – The new Custom, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex building has been occupied by the user departments.

Upcoming events

*2008 – The new Custom, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex building will be opened for light vehicles.
*2009 – The eight-lane straight elevated permanent link to the new CIQ complex will be opened to traffic.

Completion of work (as of 25 Aug 2008)

*Section 1 : 100% (Customs, Immigration & Quarantine)
*Section 2 : 96% (JB Sentral Level 2,3 & 4, Western Hub, Linkbridge to City Square)
*Section 3 : 50% (KTMB Parcel Office & Platform Line 1 & 2)
*Section 4 : 100% (Short Term Access)
*Section 5 : 100% (Kompleks Tunku Mahkota Ibrahim Ismail Kastam Marin)
*Section 6 : 65% (JB Sentral Level 1 Platform, Trackwork, Signalling & Telecomunication)

Main components of Southern Integrated Gateway

Customs, Immigration and Quarantine complex

The Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex will be the largest of its kind in Malaysia, when it is completed. Located at Bukit Cagar (formerly known as the site of Lumba Kuda flats, Kampung Bukit Cagar and recreation park), it occupies an area of 232,237 square metres. Comparison has been made to Kuala Lumpur International Airport and Singapore Changi Airport, which are also major entry points to Malaysia and Singapore, respectively.

Immigration Checkpoint

The immigration checkpoint will consist of different checkpoints for motorcycles and cars. There will also be different counters for those entering Malaysia and those exiting Malaysia. 78 counters are planned for cars entering Malaysia while 39 counters will be designated to those departing from Malaysia. 50 counters each are also planned for motorcycles entering and departing from Malaysia.

Customs Checkpoint

At the customs checkpoint, 36 counters will be designated for cars (20 for those arriving in Malaysia and 16 for those leaving the country) and 25 for motorcycles (17 for arrivals and 8 for departures).

PLUS Berhad Toll Charges

Due to the hefty cost involved for the project which include compensation of RM 200 million to main-contractor Gerbang Perdana, sources indicate that the toll charges to traffic (per trip) from would be charged as following:

Motorcycles: RM3.50
Vehicles (3-4 Wheels): RM7.10
Trucks, Vans, Commercial Vehicles: RM28.30

Only Electronic Toll Transaction at new CIQ

The new Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex at Bukit Chagar will be opening soon, according to the Malaysian Highway Authority (MHA).

All toll transactions at the new CIQ complex will be conducted electronically.

As such, the public passing though the CIQ complex are required to make their toll payments via Touch 'n Go cards at all the 39 lanes which are made available to cater for private cars, taxis and buses.

However, lorry drivers can still pay their toll at the existing Tanjung Puteri Complex until further notice.

The move to implement only electronic toll transaction at the new CIQ complex is part of the Government’s strategies to urge the public to migrate to electronic toll transaction which is much easier and more efficient apart from smoothen the traffic flow at the CIQ complex.

The new CIQ complex is situated approximately 2 kilometres from the current complex at the Johor Causeway. The complex is equipped with a customer service centre and reload lanes which operate daily to enable the public to purchase, reload or check their Touch ‘n Go cards prepaid balance.

An additional customer service centre will also be made available at the old CIQ complex.

JB Sentral

Johor Bahru Sentral (JB Sentral) will be the new transport hub in Johor Bahru, similar to KL Sentral in Kuala Lumpur. The total build-up area of JB Sentral will be 79,000 square metres, almost 2 times larger than KL Sentral (42,000sqm) in terms of built-up. It will house a KTM railway station and a bus station, which occupies an area of 9500 square metres. The bus station is expected to handle approximately 15000 bus passengers per hour, to reduce traffic congestion on the 20 year-old Larkin Terminal Station. There will be 2,000 parking spaces allocated at JB Sentral.

A pedestrian bridge connects JB Sentral to Johor Bahru City Square and Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak (Tun Abdul Razak Complex).

Transportation chief advisor, Dato Ong Seng Yon (Masai) has announced that an LRT system will be constructed around year 2015 to include JB Sentral as its main terminal. The project is expected to complete by end of 2019. The system would be known as RAPID JB (RAngkaian Pengangkutan Integrasi Deras Johor Bahru). It will consists of 2 lines known as:
1)Tebrau Line
Stations: JB Sentral-> Wadihana-> DangaCityMall-> Jln Abiad (Century Garden) ->Plaza Pelangi->Crystal Crown->PublicBank Taman Sentosa-> Mutiara Motors-> Kampung Melayu Baru-> Jln Kempas-> Kilang Yeos-> Taman Molek-> Taman Johor Jaya-> Carrefour-> AEON Tebrau City
2)Skudai Line
Stations: Plaza Pelangi-> Holiday Plaza-> Terminal Bas Larkin-> Taman Tasek-> Teluk Danga-> Bandar Baru UDA-> Jln Camar 5 (Taman Perling) -> BestMart (Taman Nusa Bestari) -> Plaza Tasek (Taman Ungku Tun Aminah)

A proposed shuttle express (similar to KLIA Express but smaller scale) linking Senai International Airport and Larkin Terminal Station via Taman Perling and Skudai Baru is still under talks with the ministers.
There are also plans to link the Johor Monorail straight to Kranji or Woodlands in Singapore. While early reports indicate the possibility of involvement by Singapore's SMRT Corporation [http://www.jeffooi.com/2006/12/singapore_inches_in.php] , SMRT denied this subsequently.

Links to other roads

The RM250mil eight-lane straight elevated permanent link on the originally planned flyover bridge will become a main road from Johor-Singapore Causeway to the new CIQ complex after the cancelling of the Tanjung Puteri road bridge plan on 12 April 2006. The old checkpoint for light vehicles, old Tanjung Puteri Customs Complex for heavy vehicles and old checkpoint bridge will all be demolished under this project. From September 2006, the route for heavy vehicles from/to Singapore to/from the old Tanjung Puteri Customs Complex will be closed to all heavy vehicles to make away for the construction of the eight-lane straight elevated permanent link.

There will be a flyover connecting this project to the Johor Bahru Inner Ring Road and a new highway, JB Eastern Dispersal Link MES-E|14 which links the Southern Integrated Gateway to the interchange of North-South Expressway Southern Route MES-E|2 near Pandan.

The construction of the new Permas Jaya second bridge commenced in 2008

Future Occupants of the CIQ complex and JB Sentral

This is a list of future occupants of the CIQ complex and JB Sentral.
*Department of Immigration Malaysia
*Royal Customs Department Malaysia
*Road Transport Department
*PLUS Expressway Berhad
*Royal Malaysian Police
*Keretapi Tanah Melayu
*Veterinary Service Department
*Ministry of Home Security Affairs
*Malaysian Timber Industrial Board
*Malaysian Fisheries Development Authority
*Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority
*Johor's State Land and Mines Office
*Perhilitan
*Johor's State Agriculture Department
*Malaysian Health Department
*Majlis Bandaraya Johor Bahru (MBJB)
*Tourism Malaysia

ee also

* Johor-Singapore Causeway
* South Johor Economic Region

References

External links

* [http://gsb.jkr.gov.my/en/index.html Southern Integrated Gateway]
* [http://www.gerbangperdana.com.my Gerbang Perdana]