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SINGAPORE – The Land Transportation Authority (LTA) purchased 40 new trains for the North-South and East-West (NSEWL) lines on Monday (September 28), as renovation works on its two oldest MRT lines continue to Good rhythm.
The trains, which cost around $ 337.8 million, will replace second and third generation trains supplied by Siemens and Kawasaki-Nippon Sharyo that have been running for at least two decades.
The first of these new trains will start rolling on the tracks in 2024 and will have improved features such as more open spaces for strollers and wheelchair users, as well as new LCD screens displaying travel information.
This contract is the second similar award awarded to the rail company Bombardier Transportation, which in 2018 was tasked with replacing 66 trains on the NSEWL.
This means that 106 of the 198 trains on these two lines, which have been in operation since 1987, will eventually be supplied by Bombardier Transportation.
With the latest move, the renovation project for Singapore’s two oldest lines that started in 2012 has passed halfway and the most difficult replacement processes have been completed, Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said at the event. signing the contract on Monday.
“The goals of this renovation are to replace important parts of the system that have been subjected to wear and tear and also to improve the capacity and performance of the system. The government and rail operators have invested billions of dollars and countless hours in,” said the Mr. Ong.
In the last decade, the signaling system, or the entire software of the MRT system, has been changed, allowing you to run trains at 100-second intervals instead of 120 seconds.
More than 100,000 track sleepers, or the parts on which train wheels sit, have also been mechanically removed and reinstalled during periods when the trains are not in operation. This allowed the maintenance of train services despite some periods of greater frequency of interruptions.
The government’s decision to work more closely with Bombardier Transportation is motivated in part by cost concerns, LTA said Monday.
By partnering more closely with a company, you can buy trains at a cheaper price and reduce train types, allowing engineers to learn more about them and react better to failures.
SMRT also signed a 10-year contract with Bombardier Transportation for the company to provide technical support and spare parts for train repairs and system upgrades or replacements for the first 10 years.
This can be extended for another 20 years later.
Said the LTA of the “significant economies of scale” from such a move: “Initiatives like these are critical to the efforts of LTA and rail operators to continue to deliver reliable train services, while managing costs.”
The remaining 92 non-Bombardier Transportation trains on the NSEWL are mostly Japanese, supplied by companies like Kawasaki Heavy Industries.
Ong also pointed to the historic importance of the train replacement, with the latest move effectively eliminating the first three generations of trains by 2026.
The LTA is exploring ways to maintain some of these old train cars in institutions such as schools and government agencies to preserve the country’s transportation heritage.
It is also open to converting the wagons for other uses, such as MRT-themed hotel or cafe décor, and interested parties can contact LTA for more details.
Mr Ong said of the vintage trains: “These three generations of workhorses are important markers of Singapore’s history, and we should find ways to commemorate their contributions.
“Many Singaporeans are very convinced of this and frequently write to me asking what will happen to our pioneer trains, hoping that they will be given new alternative life opportunities.”
Singapore now has six MRT lines, and more lines, including those in the Jurong and Cross Island region, are scheduled to open.
In September, the government accepted the Public Transportation Council’s recommendation that fares will not go up next year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with the council citing the affordability of train and bus travel as one of its key considerations. .
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