SINGAPORE - The clearance time per train of passengers at the Woodlands Train Checkpoint has been cut by half to 15 minutes with the introduction of 10 automated immigration kiosks.

The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) on Wednesday said the train checkpoint is the first to introduce the use of self-clearance kiosks. Each kiosk is about half the size of an ATM. They are bi-directional, meaning they can be used by travellers departing from or arriving in Singapore.

Self-clearance at the kiosk takes approximately 24 seconds, compared with 45 seconds at the manual counter, ICA said.

Superintendent Tong Weijie, the ICA deputy commander of Woodlands Checkpoint, said: “The implementation of the self-clearance kiosks has provided travellers with a speedier clearance experience, while enabling ICA to redeploy some officers to areas that require more manpower support.”

He added that about 13 ICA officers were deployed at the train checkpoint before the kiosks were introduced.

“About nine officers now man the train checkpoint. The four other officers have been redeployed elsewhere, such as at the car clearance zones or the lorry zones.”

The Woodlands Train Checkpoint clears 31 train trips, and close to 10,000 passengers, at maximum capacity daily.

Trains operated by Malaysian railway operator Keretapi Tanah Melayu ply the line between Woodlands and Johor Bahru, with 18 trips from JB Sentral to Woodlands and 13 from Woodlands to JB Sentral. 

A trip from the checkpoint in Singapore to JB Sentral takes about five minutes.

ICA said four manual clearance lanes at the checkpoint were removed to make way for the 10 self-clearance immigration kiosks in March 2023.

Aside from the self-clearance kiosks, travellers can also use three automated immigration lanes at the train checkpoint, as well as immigration clearance counters manned by ICA officers.

ICA said the increased clearance rate enabled by the 10 kiosks will prevent overcrowding at the train platforms and allow arriving trains to turn around more quickly.

Those eligible to use the kiosks include Singapore residents, long-term pass holders, and short-term visitors who had previously enrolled under the Automated Clearance Initiative (ACI).

Eligible foreign visitors can submit their SG Arrival Card through the MyICA mobile app or on ICA’s website within three days before arriving in Singapore.

Currently, visitors who clear automated lanes at other checkpoints, such as at the Woodlands Checkpoint bus hall, are automatically enrolled under ACI, said ICA.

Short-term visitors who have yet to enrol under ACI, and families with children below the age of six, must continue to use the manual counters for immigration clearance.

By the end of 2023, enrolment for eligible first-time visitors will be made available at Woodlands Train Checkpoint, said ICA, which has been rolling out automated immigration systems at the different checkpoints to improve clearance rates.

In May, ICA said 1,000 more bus travellers per hour have been able to clear immigration at Woodlands Checkpoint during the evening departure peak period with the use of automated lanes.

About 242,000 travellers pass through Woodlands Checkpoint every day, of whom almost 100,000 are bus travellers.

The Woodlands Checkpoint bus hall currently has seven manual lanes and 68 automated clearance lanes, of which 28 are bi-directional. There are only three automated lanes with flappers at the train checkpoint.

Supt Tong said it is not possible to implement more automated lanes due to infrastructure and space constraints. Unlike automated lanes, kiosks take up less physical space, he added.

The kiosks are arranged in two clusters of six kiosks and four kiosks to make better use of the limited space available at the train checkpoint.

The clearance process is similar to that at the automated lanes, with an entry barrier to allow travellers into a cluster when there is an available kiosk.

From there, the processes of passport scanning and biometric capture are performed at the kiosk.

Once immigration clearance is completed, travellers may then proceed to the exit barrier for identity verification.

ICA said travellers should not wear sunglasses, caps, or other headgear that may obstruct their iris and facial images from being properly captured. They also should not use coloured or patterned contact lenses.

Face masks must also be removed. ICA said officers will be around to assist travellers.

Malaysian Athifah Ida Mestika Abd Wahid, 31, travels to Singapore for work almost daily as the manager of a supermarket here.

“Clearance at the kiosks is very quick and convenient. It saves me a lot of time, which is important as I’m rushing to work every day,” she said.

Singaporean Tirzah Kengoo said she finds clearing immigration checkpoints stressful when travelling. But it took the 60-year-old educator only a few minutes to clear the checkpoint after returning from Johor Bahru.

She said: “It’s nice to breeze through with these kiosks. You don’t have to wait in queue for a long time.”