View source for Southern Integrated Gateway

{{short description|Land border control in Johor, Malaysia}}
{{EngvarB|date=July 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2014}}
{{coord|1|27|49|N|103|45|51|E|type:railwaystation_region:MY|format=dms|display=title}}
{{Infobox building
| name                = Southern Integrated Gateway
| native_name         = {{langx|ms|Gerbang Selatan Bersepadu}}<br/>{{langx|ta|ஒருங்கிணைந்த தென்மண்டல நுழைவாயில்}}
| native_name_lang    = 
| logo                = 
| logo_size           = 
| logo_alt            = 
| logo_caption        = 
| image               = SultanIskandarCIQ.JPG
| image_size          = 250px
| image_alt           = <!-- or | alt = -->
| image_caption       = <!-- or | caption = -->
| map_type            = 
| map_alt             = 
| map_caption         = 
| map_size            = 
| map_dot_label       = 
| map_dot_mark        = 
| relief              = 
| former_names        = 
| alternate_names     = 
| etymology           = 
| status              = 
| cancelled           = 
| topped_out          = 
| building_type       = [[Border control]]
| architectural_style = 
| classification      = 
| location            = [[Johor Bahru]], [[Johor]], [[Malaysia]]
| address             = 
| location_city       = <!-- or | location_town       =  -->
| location_country    = 
| coordinates         = 
| altitude            = 
| current_tenants     = 
| namesake            = 
| groundbreaking_date = {{Start date and age|df=yes|2003|2|14}}
| start_date          = {{Start date and age|df=yes|2003|12|2}}
| stop_date           = 
| est_completion      = 
| topped_out_date     = 
| completion_date     = 
| opened_date         = {{Start date and age|df=yes|2008|12|16}}
| inauguration_date   = 
| relocated_date      = 
| renovation_date     = 
| closing_date        = 
| demolition_date     = <!-- or | destruction_date    = -->
| cost                = 
| ren_cost            = 
| client              = 
| owner               = 
| landlord            = 
| affiliation         = 
| height              = 
| architectural       = 
| tip                 = 
| antenna_spire       = 
| roof                = 
| top_floor           = 
| observatory         = 
| diameter            = 
| circumference       = 
| weight              = 
| other_dimensions    = 
| structural_system   = 
| material            = 
| size                = 
| floor_count         = 
| floor_area          = 
| elevator_count      = 
| grounds_area        = 
| architect           = 
| architecture_firm   = 
| developer           = 
| engineer            = 
| structural_engineer = 
| services_engineer   = 
| civil_engineer      = 
| other_designers     = 
| quantity_surveyor   = 
| main_contractor     = 
| awards              = 
| designations        = 
| known_for           = 
| ren_architect       = 
| ren_firm            = 
| ren_engineer        = 
| ren_str_engineer    = 
| ren_serv_engineer   = 
| ren_civ_engineer    = 
| ren_oth_designers   = 
| ren_qty_surveyor    = 
| ren_contractor      = 
| ren_awards          = 
| rooms               = <!-- or | unit_count          = -->
| parking             =  
| website             = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
| embed               = 
| embedded            = 
| references          = 
| footnotes           = 
}}

The '''Southern Integrated Gateway''' ({{langx|ms|Gerbang Selatan Bersepadu}}) refers to a complex at Bukit Chagar, [[Johor Bahru]], [[Johor]], [[Malaysia]] incorporating the city's main railway station, [[Johor Bahru Sentral railway station|JB Sentral]], and a [[:customs]], [[:immigration]], and [[quarantine]] complex (CIQ), the '''[[Sultan Iskandar Building]]''' ([[Malay language|Malay]]: ''Bangunan Sultan Iskandar''), named after [[Sultan Iskandar of Johor#Legacy|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|2010|10}}, the [[Johor Bahru Sentral railway station|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 [[Daerah Sentral Johor Bahru|Johor Bahru Central Business District]]. The regional road network was enhanced by the linking of the CIQ complex to the [[North–South Expressway (Malaysia)|North–South Expressway]] via the [[Johor Bahru Inner Ring Road]]. The project also improved the transportation links between Johor Bahru and Singapore.<ref>[http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2008&dt=1214&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Johor&pg=wj_03.htm Bangunan CIQ mula beroperasi Selasa (CIQ Began Operating Tuesday)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091208180806/http://www.utusan.com.my/utusan/info.asp?y=2008&dt=1214&pub=Utusan_Malaysia&sec=Johor&pg=wj_03.htm |date=8 December 2009 }} {{in lang|ms}} 14 December 2008, [[Utusan Malaysia]]</ref>

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===
[[Image:Southern Integrated Gateway Construction.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Construction of the road leading to highway]]
[[Image:JB New CIQ Complex UC 2.JPG|thumb|right|250px|Bangunan Sultan Iskandar&ndash;Customs, Immigration and Quarantine centre under construction in 2006]]
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Start
! End
! Event
|-
| colspan="2" style="white-space:nowrap;" | End of 2002 || The new CIQ complex is proposed.
|-
| colspan="2" style="white-space:nowrap;"| Early 2003
| The Lumba Kuda flats and other structures including Kampung Ungku Mohsin and Bukit Cagar recreational park are demolished.
|-
| colspan="2" style="white-space:nowrap;"| 14 February 2003
| The Southern Integrated Gateway is officially launched by Tun Dr [[Mahathir Mohamad]], then Prime Minister of Malaysia.
|-
| colspan="2" style="white-space:nowrap;"| 2 December 2003
|Construction of CIQ complex begins.
|-
| colspan ="2" style="white-space:nowrap;"|10 March 2006
|The pilings for the new scenic bridge are completed.
|-
| colspan = "2" style="white-space:nowrap;"| 12 April 2006
| The construction of the new Tanjung Puteri road bridge replacing Malaysian side of causeway was cancelled.
|-
| colspan = "2" style="white-space:nowrap;"| 26 April 2006
| The 250-million-[[Malaysian Ringgit|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.
|-
| colspan = "2" style="white-space:nowrap;"| 30 July 2006
| The Johor state government announces plans to build a new [[Johor Bahru]] [[Maglev (transport)|Maglev]] [[monorail]] transit system. It will connect JB Sentral to Tebrau City in the east and JB Sentral to Skudai in the west.
|-
| colspan = "2" style="white-space:nowrap;"| 18 January 2007
|The construction of the short-term-access temporary road begins.
|-
| style="white-space:nowrap;" | 1 June 2007
| style="white-space:nowrap;" | 30 June 2007
| Beam launching works for Tanjung Puteri Bridge as part of the short-term access.
|-
| colspan = "2" style="white-space:nowrap;"| 1 July 2007
| The new Custom, Immigration and Quarantine Complex building is occupied by the user departments.
|-
| colspan = "2" style="white-space:nowrap;"|Mid-2008
|The Bukit Cagar flats are demolished.
|-
| colspan = "2" style="white-space:nowrap;"| 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.<ref>[http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/SE%2BAsia/Story/STIStory_309282.html New JB checkpoint] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090205054421/http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking+News/SE+Asia/Story/STIStory_309282.html |date=5 February 2009 }}, Diana Othman, 2 December 2008, [[The Straits Times]]</ref>
|-
| colspan = "2" style="white-space:nowrap;"|16 December 2008
|The Sultan Iskandar Complex is opened to all road traffic.
|-
| colspan = "2" style="white-space:nowrap;"| 21 October 2010
|JB Sentral opens for railway operations.
|-
| colspan = "2" style="white-space:nowrap;"| 12 November 2011
| New 8 lane straight road opened to all road traffic
|}

==Main components==

===Sultan Iskandar Building===
[[Image:Sultan Iskandar Custom Complex Johor Bahru , Malaysia.jpg|thumb|Immigration checkpoint to enter Johor Bahru]]
::''See also [[Sultan Iskandar Building]]''

===JB Sentral transportation hub===
{{See also|Johor Bahru railway station|Bukit Chagar RTS station}}
[[File:JBSentral Night.JPG|thumb|right|250px|Entrance to JB Sentral, lit at night.]]

[[Johor Bahru Sentral railway station]] or in short form [[JB Sentral]] is the transport hub for Johor Bahru, similar to [[KL Sentral]] in Kuala Lumpur. The total area of [[Johor Bahru Sentral railway station|JB Sentral]] is {{convert|79000|m2|sqft}}, almost two times larger than KL Sentral ({{convert|42000|m2|sqft|disp=or|abbr=on}}). The hub has a [[Keretapi Tanah Melayu|KTM]] railway station (opened on 21 October 2010) and a bus station, which occupies an area of {{convert|9500|m2|sqft}}. 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 [[Johor Bahru Sentral railway station|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 {{convert|8|m|ft}} higher, which slopes to the rail tracks.

The terminal is designed to operate six rail lines and four island platforms ({{convert|530|x|8|m|ft|disp=or|abbr=on}}) on a straight alignment. The [[Johor Bahru Sentral railway station|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 [[Johor Bahru Sentral railway station|JB Sentral]] to [[Johor Bahru City Square]] the Tun Abdul Razak Complex.

A new station for the [[Johor Bahru–Singapore Rapid Transit System]] that connects to the [[Singapore MRT]] at [[Woodlands North MRT/RTS station|Woodlands North]] will be built at [[Bukit Chagar]] located north of [[JB Sentral]] by 2024.

===Links to other roads===
[[Image:Malaysia_Southern_Custom_Complex_(_Bangunan_Sultan_Iskandar_Johor_Bahru).jpg|thumb|left|Bangunan Sultan Iskandar, seen from car heading towards Jalan Lingkaran Dalam]]
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 [[Johor Bahru Eastern Dispersal Link Expressway|Johor Bahru 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.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20081217060949/http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=%2F2008%2F12%2F17%2Fnation%2F2829675&sec=nation Crawl at CIQ complex checkpoint on first day], 17 December 2008, [[The Star (Malaysia)|The Star]]</ref> (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.<ref>Cheryl Lim Mei Ling, [http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/396766/1/.html Traffic jams, confusion at newly opened Malaysian checkpoint], 16 December 2008, [[Channel NewsAsia]]</ref>

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. Pedestrians entering Malaysia are required to walk an additional 1 kilometre of arduous uphill terrain after crossing the causeway as the current Sultan Iskandar Building is located further away from the old CIQ Complex which used to be just right after the causeway, thereby bringing the total walking distance to 2 kilometers.<ref name="ban">[https://www.asiaone.com/News/the+Straits+Times/Story/A1Story20090107-112827.html Confusion over Causeway walk ban] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724051201/http://news.asiaone.com/News/the+Straits+Times/Story/A1Story20090107-112827.html |date=24 July 2011 }}, 7 January 2009, Esther Tan, Asiaone News</ref>

==Occupants of the Sultan Iskandar CIQ Complex and JB Sentral ==
{{Div col begin}}
*[[Department of Immigration Malaysia]]
*[[Royal Customs Department Malaysia]]
*[[Malaysian Road Transport Department]]
*[[PLUS Expressway Berhad]]
*[[Royal Malaysian Police]]
*[[Keretapi Tanah Melayu]]
*[[Veterinary Service Department]]
*[[Ministry of Home Security Affairs]]
*[[Malaysian Timber Industrial Board]]
*[[Malaysian Fisheries Development Authority]]
*[[Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority]]
*[[Johor's State Land and Mines Office]]
*[[Perhilitan]]
*[[Johor's State Agriculture Department]]
*[[Johor's State Health Department]]
*[[Majlis Bandaraya Johor Bahru]] (MBJB)
*[[Tourism Malaysia]]
{{Div col end}}

==See also==
* [[South Johor Economic Region]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150621025806/http://www.mrt.com.my/ktm_intercity/JB_Sentral.htm JB Sentral KTM Railway Station]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090620012913/http://www.limsimi.com/johor-bahru-news-information/johor-new-custom-ciq-complex/ Updates on Johor Bahru CIQ]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060418053627/http://www.gerbangperdana.com.my/ Gerbang Perdana]

{{South Johor Economic Region}}

[[Category:Southern Integrated Gateway| ]]
[[Category:2008 establishments in Malaysia]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Johor]]
[[Category:South Johor Economic Region]]
[[Category:Transport in Malaysia]]
[[Category:Malaysia–Singapore border crossings]]