JOHOR BARU: Talks are being held with Singapore to extend the republic’s Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system here.
Mentri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman said yesterday that the site of the 30-year-old Bukit Cagar flats, to be demolished in the next two weeks, had been slated for the proposed Johor MRT station.
The talks were being held under the auspices of the Malaysia-Singapore Joint Ministerial Committee for the Iskandar Development Region (IDR).
“It has not been determined whether the line will start in Kranji or Woodlands.
“It doesn’t matter as long as the Johor line is connected with either one,” Abdul Ghani said, adding that he expected the project to start in two to three years.
Abdul Ghani said the MRT line would boost public transportation between Singapore and Johor Baru, as travel would be much smoother.
“It will also reduce traffic congestion along the Causeway, which has been a common problem for a long time.
On another issue, Abdul Ghani said the state government was currently in talks with government-linked companies such as UDA Holdings Bhd, Permodalan Nasional Berhad and South Johor Investment Corporation to invest in and salvage abandoned projects.
He said that out of 15 abandoned commercial properties in the state, Kemayan City and Pacific Mall would be revived first as both were more obvious eyesores compared with the others.
“I had a meeting this morning with the Iskandar Regional Development Authority and other government-linked companies to solve the problem of these two projects as soon as possible,” he said.
He said new investors in the IDR had also shown interest in reviving other abandoned projects.
In the past, nobody had ever imagined that that MRT will link to Msia…… Now ? its the begining of the invasion of Msia 
