Woodlands Train Checkpoint

Woodlands Train Checkpoint is a railway station and border checkpoint in Woodlands, Singapore. Located close to the Malaysia–Singapore border, the station is owned by Singapore's Immigration and Checkpoints Authority and is operated by the Malaysian railway operator Keretapi Tanah Melayu in agreement with the Singaporean authorities.
The facility is integrated with the Woodlands Checkpoint through a corridor and link bridge for commuters travelling by bus.

History

Old Woodlands railway station

In 1903, the former Woodlands [railway station, Singapore|Woodlands railway station] opened as an extension of the original line on the Singapore–Kranji Railway to. Upon the opening of the Johor–Singapore Causeway in 1923, the station was relocated along a more direct route to the causeway the following year. The station closed in the mid-1930s.

New Woodlands Train Checkpoint station

In 1990, a new station in Woodlands was proposed to replace as the Singapore terminus of the KTM [West Coast railway line]. Constructed from 1992 to 1997, the Woodlands Train Checkpoint was opened on 1 August 1998 to become the new Singapore border control facility for rail passengers.

Border control issues

At the time of the opening of the new station, there were no boarding facilities, as northbound passengers heading towards Malaysia were required to clear Malaysia's customs and immigration at Tanjong Pagar, and northbound trains stopped at the Woodlands Train Checkpoint for Singapore exit immigration checks only. However, southbound passengers could disembark after clearing Singapore's customs and immigration at the Woodlands Train Checkpoint, as they had already cleared Malaysian customs and immigration at the old Johor Bahru railway station.
Until 1998, both Malaysia and Singapore had their customs and immigration facilities for rail passengers at Tanjong Pagar. Singapore decided to relocate its customs and immigration facilities to Woodlands despite Malaysia's unwillingness to vacate the Tanjong Pagar railway station according to the Malaysia–Singapore Points of Agreement of 1990. The Singaporean Immigration and Checkpoints Authority ceased operations at Tanjong Pagar and moved into the Woodlands Train Checkpoint on 1 August 1998.
While providing immigration facilities for southbound passengers at JB Sentral, Malaysian customs and immigration clearance for northbound passengers remained at Tanjong Pagar, refusing to relocate to either the Woodlands Train Checkpoint or JB Sentral. This peculiarity resulted in passengers travelling to Malaysia being granted entry to Malaysia before being granted exit from Singapore, which is contrary to international practice.
To circumvent the problem, Malaysian Immigration officers in Tanjong Pagar did not stamp passports, instead the passports were scanned into a computer system, and passengers were provided with a stamped embarkation/disembarkation card to be retained until leaving Malaysia. This still posed problems for some visitors when leaving Malaysia due to the lack of a physical endorsement in their passports, especially for those who lost the card while in Malaysia.
The border control issues were resolved in 2010 following an agreement between Malaysia and Singapore to permanently close the Tanjong Pagar railway station as well as the Woodlands-Tanjong Pagar railway line. KTM services, together with Malaysian customs and immigration, relocated their operations to the Woodlands Train Checkpoint on 1 July 2011. The Woodlands Train Checkpoint subsequently became the southern terminus of the KTM West Coast Line..

Present

Today, northbound passengers clear both Singapore's and Malaysia's customs and immigration at the Woodlands Train Checkpoint before boarding the train for Malaysia, while southbound passengers clear Malaysian customs and immigration at JB Sentral and Singapore customs and immigration at Woodlands Train Checkpoint.
The station will be closed in 2028 in conjunction with the opening of the new Johor Bahru–Singapore Rapid Transit System, as well as to make way for the expansion of Woodlands Checkpoint. This will mark the complete withdrawal of KTM from Singapore.

Train services

A diesel powered shuttle train service, known as Shuttle Tebrau and operated by KTM Intercity, runs from the Woodlands Train Checkpoint to. There are 31 trips daily: 18 trips from Johor Bahru and 13 trips from Woodlands. KTM Intercity train services that previously linked the Woodlands Train Checkpoint with various destinations in Malaysia were truncated to terminate at JB Sentral following the introduction of the shuttle train service on 1 July 2015.
The diesel powered Eastern and Oriental Express has its southern terminus at Woodlands Train Checkpoint. The E&O is a luxury train that is run by Belmond Limited, the same operator of the Venice-Simplon Orient Express. From 1993 to 2021, the E&O has been used as a means of recreational travel between Singapore and Bangkok with stopovers at places of interest in Malaysia and Thailand. It was suspended in 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It resumed operations in February 2024 between Singapore and Malaysian venues.

Transport connections

The Woodlands Train Checkpoint features both a domestic taxi stand and a domestic ride-hailing stand.
The station functions as the de facto domestic public bus stop, taxi stand and ride-hailing stand for the Woodlands Checkpoint, as all bus and taxi services that ply through the Woodlands Checkpoint itself are fully cross-border transport services.

Public bus services

The station is served by 7 local public bus services and a single cross-border public bus service through the bus stop, located adjacent to the pick-up point along Woodlands Centre Road. The bus services are linked to nearby public transport nodes with access to Singapore's Mass Rapid Transit network.
Since 17 March 2019, bus service 913 was amended to serve and Woodlands Street 13, and no longer called at the bus stops along the northern stretch of Woodlands Centre Road, including the Woodlands Train Checkpoint.

Bus Service	Destination	Nearby Local Transport Nodes	Remarks	Route Ref
170 '	Larkin Sentral Terminal [Johor Bahru\|	-	Cross-border bound trip terminating at Larkin Sentral Terminal, for access to Woodlands Checkpoint Departure Hall mandatory alighting point by bus. Domestic-bound trip of the same service terminating at Queen Street Bus Terminal also calls at the same bus stop.
170'	Queen Street Bus Terminal	Kranji Bukit Panjang	Cross-border bound trip of the same service terminating at Larkin Sentral Terminal also calls at the same bus stop. '
178	Woodlands Bus Interchange	Woodlands
856	Yishun Bus Interchange	– Woodlands North Sembawang Yishun	Evening peak-hour short trip service 856A terminates at this bus stop. Morning peak-hour short trip service 856B terminates at Bus Stop 58159,, and does not continue to Yishun Bus Interchange.
903	Woodlands Bus Interchange	Woodlands
911 '	Woodlands Bus Interchange	Woodlands	Short trip service 911T terminates at Woodlands Interchange, and does not continue on East Loop.
912	Woodlands Bus Interchange	Woodlands	Short trip service 912B terminates at Woodlands Interchange, and does not continue on East Loop.
950	Woodlands Temporary Bus Interchange	Marsiling Woodlands