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SINGAPORE: Singapore’s two oldest MRT lines will have 40 of their trains, which have been in service for at least two decades, replaced by new trains from Canadian manufacturer Bombardier.
The new trains, which were purchased for S $ 337.8 million, will be launched on the north-south and east-west lines progressively from 2024, the Land Transportation Authority (LTA) said on Monday (September 28). .
They will replace 19 second-generation trains supplied by German engineering firm Siemens, first introduced in 1995, and 21 third-generation trains from Kawasaki-Nippon Sharyo, which began operating in 2000.
The new trains will be assembled at Bombardier’s facilities in Changchun, China, with parts from Sweden, Germany and other countries.
Artist’s impression of the new Bombardier train to replace the older fleet on the North-South and East-West lines. (Photo: LTA)
The trains will have a set of condition monitoring features, which will make it possible to address potential failures before they affect passenger service, the LTA said. They will also feature more open spaces for baby strollers and wheelchair users, as well as new LCD screens with information on train travel.
READ: New fleet to replace 66 older MRT trains from 2021
Monday’s announcement comes two years after Bombardier won a S $ 1.2 billion contract to replace 66 first-generation Kawasaki trains on the North-South and East-West lines, which had been in service since the MRT system. Singapore began operating in 1987.
The 106 trains on the two lines to be supplied by Bombardier will use the same design, the LTA said.
Speaking at the contract signing ceremony at the railway operator SMRT’s Bishan Depot, Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said that combining the purchase of the replacement trains would result in economies of scale, reducing purchasing and operating costs. of the trains.
“Once the replacement exercise is complete, we will have fewer types of trains, which also helps our engineers develop a deeper experience on each type of train,” he said.
An artist’s impression of the interior of the new Bombardier train, which features fold-down seats. (Photo: LTA)
Currently, the two lines have 198 trains of six different types, supplied by different companies.
On Monday, Bombardier also signed a long-term service support contract with SMRT, which operates the North-South and East-West lines.
The 10-year contract will start in 2022 and includes an option to extend it for another 20 years, SMRT said in a statement.
“This arrangement will help keep train maintenance costs low and allow us to call on experts from around the world to keep our trains safe and reliable,” said Mr. Ong.
“The 106 new MRT trains will enter passenger service from 2022 to 2026. When fully introduced, 53 percent of the NSEWL trains (North-South and East-West lines) will be brand new,” he added.
READ: Plan to expand MRT network to 360 km by early 2030s remains, despite delays due to COVID-19: Khaw Boon Wan
The S $ 639.5 million integrated train test center in Tuas, which will begin operations from 2022, will help ensure that the new trains are “acclimatized to the local environment” before entering service, Ong said.
Describing the first three generations of MRT trains as “workhorses” and “important markers of Singapore’s history”, Mr. Ong asked companies and organizations to contact LTA with “creative but meaningful” uses of the trains. off duty to give them a new life.
Replacing the old trains is just one part of a multi-year effort to renovate six core systems on the North-South and East-West lines, he said.
Three of the six systems, namely the replacement of the track sleepers, the third rail and the improvement of the signaling system, have already been updated.
Power supply replacement works are currently underway and on track to be completed by 2023, Ong said.
“It will allow better real-time supervision to predict and detect failures. If there is a power outage, the system can also automatically switch to an alternative power supply source, improving the overall resilience of the MRT network, ”he added.
The replacement of the track circuit system with one that can provide early warning and rapid recovery in the event of signaling system failures will be completed in 2024, he said.
These works together will cost more than S $ 2.5 billion, former Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said in January this year.
READ: MRT North-South, East-West Line Renewal Will Cost Over S $ 2.5 Billion: Khaw Boon Wan
Renovation efforts on the two 33-year lines have paid off.
Last year, the East-West Line logged 1.48 million kilometers between delays of more than five minutes, compared to 408,000 kilometers between delays in 2018.
The North-South Line managed to reach 1.43 million kilometers between those delays in 2019, compared to 894,000 kilometers the previous year.
“We now have a very reliable and affordable MRT system. We will remain steadfast in our goal of providing reliable, safe and affordable rail service, ”said Mr. Ong.
“We have achieved this for today’s travelers, and now we must focus our efforts on maintaining this for generations to come.”
