Malaysia’s border agency intensifies RTS Link security preparations with 400 trainees and AI learning phase underway

MALAYSIA: The Malaysian Border Control and Protection Agency (MCBA) is stepping up its security readiness ahead of the Johor Bahru-Singapore RTS Link’s January 2027 launch, combining personnel training, technology deployment, and operational simulations to ensure effective border inspection at the new cross-border rail terminal, according to New Straits Times (NST), citing Bernama.

MCBA director-general Datuk Seri Mohd Shuhaily Mohd Zain told Bernama that preparations were being intensified across all three dimensions, with the agency clear that technology alone would not be sufficient to address security threats at entry points.

“Technology helps, but it is not the solution to these threats. A combination of both is essential, while how we utilise technology for enforcement is equally important, including training,” he said, as quoted by NST.

Some 400 MCBA trainees are currently undergoing a three-month training programme at the Segamat Police Training Centre, with completion expected by end-September. They will then be deployed to the RTS Link facility in October, ahead of two months of dry runs designed to ensure full operational readiness by January.

Shuhaily said newly deployed personnel would initially work alongside senior officers at the Sultan Iskandar Building to gain hands-on experience in document and goods inspection before the RTS Link opens to the public.

AI still in learning phase

On the use of artificial intelligence to help detect and curb the smuggling of illicit goods, Shuhaily tempered expectations, noting that the technology is still maturing. “Before AI can mature, it needs to learn through what is known as machine learning. So, it is still a work in progress,” he said.

MCBA said it would also advise RTS Link operators on suitable technologies to enhance security and mitigate potential risks as the facility moves toward its launch date.

Why this matters for Singapore

The RTS Link is expected to carry thousands of passengers per hour in each direction between Bukit Chagar in Johor Bahru and Woodlands North in Singapore. The scale and speed of cross-border movement the link is designed to handle cuts down what can be a multi-hour Causeway crossing to a few minutes, making the effectiveness of border inspection at both ends a critical issue.

Malaysia’s investment in training 400 dedicated MCBA officers specifically for the RTS Link checkpoint, and its plan to conduct dry runs through November and December, show that border security is being taken seriously as a prerequisite for the link’s smooth operation from day one.

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