In forceUpdated to 30 Sep 2026

Contents

Cross-Border Railways (Border Control Co-location) Act 2026 · Updated to 30 Sep 2026 · Part 1 · Preliminary

6. Meanings of train “in transit” and terms associated with cross‑border incident management

Feedback & support

(1)

For the purposes of this Act, a cross‑border train is in transit when —

(a)

the cross‑border train is on a track of a cross‑border railway; and

(b)

the cross‑border train is in the stage of operation described in the relevant Schedule relating to that cross‑border railway.

(2)

In this Act —

“cross‑border incident” means a railway occurrence that involves or is associated with —

(a)

the defined zone of a cross‑border railway; or

(b)

a cross‑border train that is in transit on a cross‑border railway;

“defined zone”, for a cross‑border railway, means any part of the railway infrastructure of the cross‑border railway that is prescribed in the relevant Schedule for the purposes of managing cross‑border incidents relating to that cross‑border railway;

“incident management operations” means —

(a)

activities undertaken in relation to a railway occurrence —

(i)

to help injured people and prevent or reduce loss of human life, illness or injury to humans associated with the railway occurrence;

(ii)

to help prevent or reduce property loss or damage, or damage to the environment associated with the railway occurrence; or

(iii)

to protect people or goods from danger or potential danger associated with the railway occurrence; Examples Search and rescue, firefighting, environmental hazard control, and critical medical assistance or medical evacuation.

(b)

activities undertaken to respond to, or minimise, the adverse effects of a railway occurrence; or

(c)

carrying out ordinary checks or special checks for the purposes of railway security checks relating to a cross‑border railway affected by a railway occurrence, so far as relevant;

“railway occurrence” means all or any of the following which is occurring or has occurred:

(a)

a railway accident;

(b)

a railway security incident involving or associated with a cross‑border railway;

(c)

a natural catastrophe;

(d)

an explosion or a fire, a chemical, fuel or oil spill, a gas leak or a poor air quality episode involving smoke;

(e)

a serious public order incident affecting the public or a threat of such an incident occurring;

(f)

a discovery of unaccompanied, unattended or unidentified goods onboard a cross‑border train or on a track of a cross‑border railway in suspicious circumstances;

(g)

an event in which critical medical assistance or medical evacuation must be provided to any passenger or crew of a cross‑border railway, any individual conducting incident management operations or any other individual affected by any occurrence mentioned in paragraph (a), (b), (c), (d) or (e);

“serious public order incident” means anyone engaging in conduct that —

(a)

involves serious violence to any individual;

(b)

causes serious damage to property;

(c)

causes death;

(d)

endangers any individual’s life, including the life of the individual engaging in the conduct;

(e)

involves releasing into the environment or any part of the environment, or distributing or otherwise exposing the public to, any dangerous thing; or

(f)

otherwise causes a serious risk to the health or safety of people.

Terms defined in s 3

conduct
Defined · s 3
“conduct”, as a verb, means —(a)to do an act or omit to do an act —(i)on a single occasion; or(ii)on a number of occasions over a period of time; or(b)to both do an act and omit to do an act —(i)on a single occasion; or(ii)on a number of occasions over a period of time;
Open s 3
crew
Defined · s 3
“crew” means an individual while on duty or carrying out work in —(a)the operation of a cross‑border train used for or in connection with providing a cross‑border train service;(b)the planning or scheduling of train services provided using a cross‑border railway, or any activity that is ancillary to that planning or scheduling;(c)managing and controlling train services provided using a cross‑border railway (including train traffic management), or any activity that is ancillary to that managing and controlling;(d)the selling of tickets or provision of other passenger services for travel on a cross‑border train used for or in connection with providing a cross‑border train service; or(e)the maintenance of —(i)any cross‑border train used for or in connection with providing a cross‑border train service; or(ii)any part of a cross‑border railway on which a cross‑border train service is provided;
Open s 3
cross‑border incident
Defined · s 3
“cross‑border incident” has the meaning given by section 6(2);
Open s 3
cross‑border railway
Defined · s 3
“cross‑border railway” means a railway that —(a)has a railway network with a terminus in Singapore and runs to any part of peninsular Malaysia; and(b)is constructed under the Cross‑Border Railways Act 2018;
Open s 3
cross‑border train
Defined · s 3
“cross‑border train” means a train used for or in connection with providing a cross‑border train service;
Open s 3
dangerous thing
Defined · s 3
“dangerous thing” means an object or a thing that is —(a)a gun, an explosive, a weapon or a noxious substance within the meaning of the Guns, Explosives and Weapons Control Act 2021;(b)any other pointed or bladed item capable of being used to cause bodily injury to the individual in possession of the item or to others;(c)a biological agent or toxin;(d)a corrosive substance; or(e)any other toxic, radioactive or flammable thing, or any other thing (whether or not of a similar kind), that is or could be used in a dangerous or threatening way;
Open s 3
goods
Defined · s 3
“goods” means movable property of any kind and, without limiting the generality of the expression, includes any creature, plant, money, thing, document, vessel and aircraft;
Open s 3
in transit
Defined · s 3
“in transit” has the meaning given by section 6(1);
Open s 3
incident management operations
Defined · s 3
“incident management operations” has the meaning given by section 6(2);
Open s 3
natural catastrophe
Defined · s 3
“natural catastrophe” means a storm, weather phenomenon, storm tide, tsunami, flood, a volcanic eruption or an earthquake, a landslip or other occurrence of a similar kind;
Open s 3
passenger
Defined · s 3
“passenger”, for a cross‑border train, means an individual embarking or intending to embark on the cross‑border train for the purpose of travelling onboard and includes any of the following:(a)a Malaysian border protection service officer or a Singapore border protection service officer;(b)an independent safety auditor, a rail safety inspector or other like official making an investigation or inspection for the purposes of any written law or Malaysian law about ensuring the safety of the operations of the cross‑border railway while on duty or carrying out work in that capacity;
Open s 3
railway accident
Defined · s 3
“railway accident”, in relation to a cross‑border railway, means an occurrence associated with the cross‑border railway where —(a)a cross‑border train used for or in connection with providing a cross‑border train service using the cross‑border railway —(i)is destroyed or seriously damaged; or(ii)is abandoned, disabled or stranded;(b)an individual dies, or is seriously injured, as a result of the occurrence;(c)a collision as follows happens, or happens directly as a result of the occurrence:(i)a collision between any of the cross‑border trains used for or in connection with providing a cross‑border train service using the cross‑border railway, but not an impact between such trains associated with normal railway operating circumstances;(ii)a collision between a cross‑border train used for or in connection with providing the cross‑border train service and an individual, a creature or another vehicle; or(d)any of the following happens directly as a result of the occurrence:(i)a derailment of a cross‑border train used for or in connection with providing a cross‑border train service using the cross‑border railway;(ii)an explosion or a fire;(iii)serious damage to the railway infrastructure of that cross‑border railway or any railway track in or on that railway infrastructure;
Open s 3
railway infrastructure
Defined · s 3
“railway infrastructure”, for any cross‑border railway, means any of the following buildings or structures, within or outside Singapore, that is used for or in connection with the cross‑border railway:(a)a train station;(b)a railway tunnel;(c)a viaduct;(d)a bridge;(e)a railway yard;(f)a maintenance facility for trains and maintenance or engineering vehicles used for or in connection with the railway;
Open s 3
railway security checks
Defined · s 3
“railway security checks” means carrying on any ordinary checking mentioned in section 5(1) or special checking mentioned in section 5(2) for the purpose of safeguarding against any railway security incident associated with a cross‑border railway;
Open s 3
railway security incident
Defined · s 3
“railway security incident” has the meaning given by section 54 of the Cross‑Border Railways Act 2018;
Open s 3
relevant Schedule
Defined · s 3
“relevant Schedule”, for a cross‑border railway, means the Schedule to this Act which contains provisions relating to that cross‑border railway, including powers of specified persons and applicable laws;
Open s 3
track
Defined · s 3
“track” means any combination of rails, rail connections, rail joints, rail fastenings, sleepers, ballast, points and crossing, or any substitute devices if used;
Open s 3