Woodlands Gateway to Feature Major Mixed-Use Transport Hub Linked to RTS

The transport hub sits within the broader 35-hectare Woodlands Gateway project, roughly the size of the Sports Hub precinct. The hub site itself spans about 5.66 hectares, or nearly eight football fields. JTC Corporation, a statutory board under the Ministry of Trade and Industry, outlined the plans in tender documents.

“As the first rail entry point from Malaysia, Woodlands Gateway is envisioned as an iconic northern gateway,” the documents stated. The first phase of the hub will include a bus interchange with an area of about 6,500 sq m, 28,000 sq m of retail space and 22,000 sq m of flexible office spaces.

The hub will connect directly to the upcoming Johor Bahru-Singapore Rapid Transit System Link and Woodlands North MRT station on the Thomson-East Coast Line. The RTS Link is expected to transport up to 10,000 travellers per hour in each direction when it becomes operational by the end of 2026.

A distinctive feature of the project is an underground network of roads for heavy vehicles and trucks leading to industrial offices, keeping ground-level areas free of heavy traffic. Community facilities such as parks and sky links for pedestrians and cyclists are also planned.

Beyond the transport hub, the project includes two blocks of factories taking up 104,000 sq m. One phase of construction is expected to finish by around 2031, with the next phase to be completed by 2034.

JTC said the commercial and lifestyle facilities will cater to new demand from passengers in transit, residents of nearby estates and employees in surrounding industry developments. On June 30, JTC put up an invitation for firms to indicate interest in providing design consultancy and site supervision services for the Gateway project.

Harvey Neo, a professor at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), described Woodlands Gateway as a “good example of transit-oriented development.” Professor Khoo Peng Beng, also from SUTD, highlighted the “regenerative possibility to create life” around the connectivity brought by the RTS Link.

The Woodlands Gateway precinct is expected to anchor more than 25,000 jobs and tap cross-border business opportunities arising from the JB-Singapore RTS Link. Architecture consultant Jeffrey Ho noted that the success of the district will rely on synergy with other developments in the area, including the Kranji Turf Club redevelopment, Republic Polytechnic, Woodlands New Town, Woodlands Industrial Park and Sungei Kadut.