Heavy rain and peak hours lead to 4-hour delays at Causeway

Travellers commuting from Singapore to Malaysia by foot and bus on Friday (Jan 10) night found themselves stuck in a human traffic jam at Woodlands Checkpoint.

Commuters not only had to brave the Friday peak period but also had to contend with the continuous rain pelting both countries.

Some netizens in the Facebook group Both Checkpoint lamented taking three to four hours to cross the border, also advising hopeful travellers to head to Malaysia another day.

One netizen said it took him nearly five hours to get through the checkpoint, and he didn't get home until about 3:30am, reported Shin Min Daily News.

Videos posted to that group at about 6pm show a long line of people waiting at Kranji MRT station for buses to the checkpoint.

One netizen snapped a photo of the crowded bus hall and said she had queued an hour to clear immigration.

As the night wore on, more netizens shared media of the swelling crowds at the footbridge and walkways of Woodlands Train Checkpoint, which is linked to Woodlands Checkpoint. The train checkpoint was so packed that some even had to wait outside in the rain.

In the Facebook group, netizens said the crowd remained stuck as immigration officers had cordoned off the entrances to control the number of people in the immigration hall.

They also claimed that the rain had delayed the cross-border buses, causing a buildup of people in the bus hall.

Based on Facebook posts, crowds at Woodlands Checkpoint persisted past midnight and appeared to let up only at about 2am.

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National water agency PUB said on Sunday that Singapore experienced moderate to heavy downpours in many areas on Friday and Saturday due to the monsoon surge.

Over the two days, Changi recorded the highest total amount of rainfall at 255.2mm, more than Singapore's average monthly rainfall in January.

The rainy weather is expected to persist till Monday (Jan 13).

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lim.kewei@asiaone.com