Alstom and Land Transport Authority (LTA) have unveiled the first 16 of the 106 six-car high-capacity trainsets to enter service for the East-West and North-South Lines (NSEWL) of Singapore’s MRT system.
The new rolling stock will replace 106 six-car trains (in total 636 cars) comprising the first, second and third generation trains which have been in service, on average, for close to 30 years.
These new trains are part of the North–South and East–West Lines’ core systems upgrade and renewal programme, and delivery of the 106 new trains will be completed by end of 2026.
“As we complete our testing, approximately two trains will be put into passenger service every month and trains from the original fleets will be decommissioned accordingly,” LTA says.
The trains, designed in Germany and manufactured in Alstom’s Chinese joint venture Changchun Alstom Railway Vehicles Co., Ltd. (CARC) in Changchun, China, offer a number of commuter-friendly features including refreshed LCD screens that keep passengers informed on their journey, spacious areas for wheelchairs and strollers that promote inclusive travel and larger windows that offer more views of unique neighbourhood towns.
The first two trains arrived in Singapore from China in February 2022, followed by progressive delivery of more trains.
Commuters from all walks of life can look forward to more pleasant and convenient journeys, as the new train cabins have more open spaces to accommodate strollers and wheelchair users. Large, panoramic windows will provide commuters with an improved viewing experience while travelling along above-ground stations. The new trains are also designed with ergonomic perch seats, which can accommodate more commuters on the trains. Other features include an LCD display system above every door to show the route and station information.
To enhance train reliability and enable efficient maintenance, the new trains are equipped with a self-test system, which automatically checks that the trains are fit for operation before services commence each day. These trains will subsequently be equipped with condition-monitoring features to pre-emptively identify emerging faults, and enable early rectification.
The high-capacity trainsets are being supplied under the Land Transport Authority (LTA) contract awarded to Alstom in 2018 for 66 new trains, with another 40 purchased in 2020. LTA has also purchased six new trains to serve North East Line (NEL) and 23 new trains to serve the Circle Line (CCL) from Alstom. The new NEL and CCL trains are intended to cater for additional capacity when the North-East Line Extension (NELe) and the Circle Line 6 (CCL6) begin operations.
LTA has completed tests for the six new NEL trains and will be handing the trains over to SBST for further operational testing. The company has also received two of the 23 new CCL trains, which will be transported to the Integrated Train Testing Centre later this month for the commencement of testing and commissioning.
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