Southern Integrated Gateway

Sultan Iskandar Complex Customs, Immigration and Quarantine Complex

1°27′49″N 103°45′51″E / 1.46361°N 103.76417°E / 1.46361; 103.76417

The Southern Integrated Gateway (Malay: Gerbang Selatan Bersepadu) refers to a complex in Johor Bahru, Johor, Malaysia incorporating the city's main railway station, JB Sentral, and a customs, immigration, and quarantine complex (CIQ), the Sultan Iskandar Building (Malay: Bangunan Sultan Iskandar), named after Almarhum Sultan Iskandar ibni Almarhum Sultan Ismail of Johor.

The station and complex are the main transportation hub of Johor Bahru and southern Peninsular Malaysia. The Malaysian Public Works Department was responsible for the design and construction of the project; Gerbang Perdana Sdn Bhd was the main contractor. This project is part of the Iskandar Malaysia development corridor project.

The CIQ complex was opened to vehicular traffic on 16 December 2008. As of October 2010^[update], the JB Sentral railway station entered operation and service to the old Johor Bahru railway station ceased.

Benefits of the project

The project sought to improve the traffic flow within Johor Bahru Central Business District. The regional road network was enhanced by the linking of the CIQ complex to the North-South Expressway via the Johor Bahru Inner Ring Road. The project also improved the transportation links between Johor Bahru and Singapore.^[1]

The project was intended to 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.

History

Events

Start	End	Event
End of 2002		The new CIQ complex is proposed.
Early 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 Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad, then Prime Minister of Malaysia.
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 250-million-Ringgit eight-lane straight elevated permanent link from Causeway to the new CIQ complex in Bukit Chagar was proposed by the Ministry of Works and Gerbang Perdana.
30 July 2006		The Johor state government announces plans to build a new Johor Bahru Maglev monorail transit system. It will connect JB Sentral to Tebrau City in the east and JB Sentral to Skudai in the west.
18 January 2007		The construction of the short-term-access temporary road begins.
1 June 2007	30 June 2007	Beam launching works for Tanjung Puteri Bridge as part of the short-term access.
1 July 2007		The new Custom, Immigration and Quarantine Complex building is occupied by the user departments.
Mid-2008		The Bukit Cagar flats are demolished.
1 December 2008		The new Custom, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex building is officially named the "Sultan Iskandar Complex" by the Sultan of Johor. The customs complex was opened to cars and motorcycles entering Johor Bahru on the same day.^[2]
16 December 2008		The Sultan Iskandar Complex is opened to all road traffic.
21 October 2010		JB Sentral opens for railway operations.
12 November 2011		New 8 lane straight road opened to all road traffic

Main components

Sultan Iskandar Building

See also Sultan Iskandar Building

JB Sentral transportation hub

See also JB Sentral

JB Sentral is the transport hub for Johor Bahru, similar to KL Sentral in Kuala Lumpur. The total area of JB Sentral is 79,000 square metres (850,000 sq ft), almost two times larger than KL Sentral (42,000 m² or 450,000 sq ft). The hub has a KTM railway station (opened on 21 October 2010) and a bus station, which occupies an area of 9,500 square metres (102,000 sq ft). The bus station is expected to handle approximately 15,000 bus passengers per hour, reducing traffic congestion at the 20-year-old Larkin Terminal Station. There are 2,000 parking spaces allocated at JB Sentral.

The trains operate in a north-south orientation. The site's western boundary is constrained by the Caltex petrol station abutting the rail track fencing; Jalan Jim Quee to the east has a platform level up to 8 metres (26 ft) higher, which slopes to the rail tracks.

The terminal is designed to operate six rail lines and four island platforms (530 m × 8 m or 1,739 ft × 26 ft) on a straight alignment. The JB Sentral building is designed to fit this narrow site by placing the passenger hall and ticketing offices directly above the rail tracks, with escalators and lifts providing access to the rail platforms below.

A pedestrian bridge connects JB Sentral to Johor Bahru City Square the Tun Abdul Razak Complex.

Transportation chief advisor Dato Ong Seng Yon (Masai) announced that a new metro system, similar to Shenzhen Metro system will be constructed beginning around 2015 to include JB Sentral as its main terminal. The project is expected to complete by end of 2020. The system would be known as RAPID JB (Rangkaian Pengangkutan Integrasi Deras Johor Bahru).^{[citation needed]}^{[needs update]}

A new MRT station which is Singapore MRT will be built at Tanjung Puteri by 2020.

Links to other roads

The 250-million-Ringgit, eight-lane, straight elevated permanent link on the originally planned flyover bridge is a main road from the Johor-Singapore Causeway to the new CIQ complex. The old checkpoint for light vehicles, the Tanjung Puteri Customs Complex for heavy vehicles, and the old checkpoint bridge were demolished starting in May 2009.

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

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

Critical reception

On its opening day on 16 December 2008, motorists entering Malaysia from Singapore were greeted by a plague of problems such as long queues and traffic confusion. Public transport was also badly affected; some commuters said that crossing the causeway took them almost two hours, rather than 15 minutes as it had with the old checkpoint.^[3] (Although the new checkpoint boasts 76 lanes for cars, these 76 lanes split from only one lane that enters the complex. This is because there are only two lanes entering the complex. Of these, one is for cars, and one is for buses and other vehicles.) There was also reportedly a lack of signs and policemen, causing many motorists to get lost within the complex.^[4]

In January 2009, a notice issued to pedestrians walking to the customs complex caused confusion among pedestrians and the Singapore custom authorities. Government officials have noted the danger of walking into the customs complex, and proposed a ban on pedestrians. This led to a critical response from pedestrians, who complained of the massive jams that they often faced, as well as noting that the structure of the road leading up to the complex was extremely dangerous and unsuitable for pedestrians.^[5]

Occupants of the Sultan Iskandar CIQ Complex and JB Sentral

References

^ Bangunan CIQ mula beroperasi Selasa (CIQ Began Operating Tuesday) Template:Language icon 14 December 2008, Utusan Malaysia^{[dead link‍]}
^ New JB checkpoint, Diana Othman, 2 December 2008, The Straits Times
^ Crawl at CIQ complex checkpoint on first day, 17 December 2008, The Star
^ Cheryl Lim Mei Ling, Traffic jams, confusion at newly opened Malaysian checkpoint, 16 December 2008, Channel NewsAsia
^ Confusion over Causeway walk ban, 7 January 2009, Esther Tan, Asiaone News

External links

[1] Bangunan CIQ mula beroperasi Selasa (CIQ Began Operating Tuesday) Template:Language icon 14 December 2008, Utusan Malaysia^{[dead link‍]}

[2] New JB checkpoint, Diana Othman, 2 December 2008, The Straits Times

[3] Crawl at CIQ complex checkpoint on first day, 17 December 2008, The Star

[4] Cheryl Lim Mei Ling, Traffic jams, confusion at newly opened Malaysian checkpoint, 16 December 2008, Channel NewsAsia

[ban-5] Confusion over Causeway walk ban, 7 January 2009, Esther Tan, Asiaone News

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v t e Iskandar Malaysia
Districts	Kulai Johor Bahru Pontian (partial)
Key entities	Khazanah Nasional Iskandar Regional Development Authority Iskandar Investment Berhad Johor Corporation UEM Group
Local authorities	Pontian Municipal Council (MPPn) Iskandar Puteri City Council (MBIP) Kulai Municipal Council (MPKu) Johor Bahru City Council (MBJB) Pasir Gudang City Council (MBPG)
Economic zones	Zone A: Johor Bahru City Centre Zone B: Iskandar Puteri Zone C: Western Gate Development Zone D: Eastern Gate Development Zone E: Senai-Skudai
Major towns and suburb	Johor Bahru Bandar Dato' Onn Danga Bay Johor Jaya Desa Jaya Ehsan Jaya Desa Cemerlang Puteri Wangsa Pelangi Indah Mount Austin Larkin Plentong Tampoi Tebrau Ulu Tiram Permas Jaya Iskandar Puteri Bukit Indah Forest City Gelang Patah Horizon Hills Kangkar Pulai Kota Iskandar Medini Iskandar Malaysia Skudai Taman Universiti Taman Ungku Tun Aminah Tanjung Kupang Ulu Choh Pasir Gudang Bandar Seri Alam Masai Kota Masai Sungai Tiram Tanjung Langsat Bandar Kulai Indahpura Senai Saleng Sedenak Seelong Sengkang Pekan Nanas Kukup Ayer Bemban
Major landmarks	Iskandar Coastal Bridge Iskandar Malaysia Studios Johor–Singapore Causeway Johor Bahru Old Chinese Temple Johor Port Johor Premium Outlets Johor Technology Park Kempas Sentral Komtar JBCC Kota Iskandar Larkin Sentral Legoland Malaysia Malaysia–Singapore Second Link Sultan Abu Bakar Complex Mall of Medini MSC Cyberport Permas Jaya Bridge Persada Johor International Convention Centre Port of Tanjung Pelepas Senai International Airport Southern Integrated Gateway Sultan Iskandar Building JB Sentral Sungai Johor Bridge Sultan Iskandar Mosque Tanjung Piai
Infrastructure	Bukit Indah Highway Iskandar Coastal Highway Iskandar Malaysia Bus Rapid Transit Johor Bahru Eastern Dispersal Link Expressway Johor Bahru Inner Ring Road Johor Bahru–Pasir Gudang Elevated Expressway Johor Bahru–Singapore Rapid Transit System North–South Expressway southern route Pasir Gudang Highway Johor Bahru East Coast Highway Gemas–Johor Bahru double-tracking and electrification project Second Link Expressway Senai–Desaru Expressway Skudai Highway Tebrau Highway
Education	Ibrahim Sultan Polytechnic (PIS) MDIS Malaysia Newcastle University Medicine Malaysia Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) University of Reading Malaysia Campus University of Southampton Southern University College (Southen UC)