Designed In Germany And Built In China: 106 New Trains To Replace First-Generation Singapore Trains

The first two of a fleet of 106 new trains for the North-South and East-West MRT lines (NSEWL) have arrived in Singapore, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Monday (Feb 21).

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 running in 2000. 

The new trains, which were purchased for S$337.8 million, will be rolled out on the North-South and East-West Lines progressively from 2024, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said.

The trains will have a suite of condition-monitoring features, which will allow potential faults to be addressed before they affect commuter service, said the LTA. They will also have more open spaces for baby strollers and wheelchair users, as well as new LCD screens with train travel information. 

The first-generation trains will be retired when the new trains enter service from the end of this year.

(Photo: Facebook/Land Transport Authority)

Speaking at the signing ceremony for the contract at rail operator SMRT’s Bishan Depot, Minister for Transport Ong Ye Kung said combining the purchase of the replacement trains would result in economies of scale, lowering the purchase and operating costs of the trains. 

“Once the replacement exercise is completed, we will have fewer train types, which also helps our engineers to develop deeper expertise on each train type,” he said. 

LTA described the new trains as “international citizens”.

“The design was conceptualised in Germany before they were manufactured and assembled in China, and their parts were sourced from various countries including United Kingdom, France and Germany,” the authority said.

“Decked out in green and red stripes which are iconic of the #NSEWL, as well as LTA’s livery, the trains will now undergo a series of rigorous testing and commissioning works before they’re ready to serve you from end-2022.”

On Monday, Bombardier also signed a long-term service support contract with SMRT, which runs the North-South and East-West Lines.The 10-year contract will begin in 2022, and includes an option to extend for another 20 years, said SMRT in a statement“This arrangement will help keep train maintenance costs low and allow us to tap 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 per cent of the NSEWL (North-South and East-West Lines) trains will be brand new,” he added.

An artist’s impression of the interior of the new train by Bombardier, which features tip-up seats. (Photo: LTA)

The S$639.5 million integrated train testing centre at Tuas, which will begin operations from 2022, will help ensure new trains are “acclimatised to the local environment” before entering service, said Mr Ong. Describing the first three generations of MRT trains as “workhorses” and “important markers of the Singapore story”, Mr Ong called on companies and organisations to contact LTA with “creative yet meaningful” uses of decommissioned trains to give them new leases of life. 

Replacing ageing trains is just one part of a multi-year effort to renew six core systems on the North-South and East-West lines, he said.

Three of the six systems – namely the replacement of track sleepers, third rail and the upgrading of the signalling system – have already been upgraded. Power supply replacement works are currently ongoing, and on track to be completed by 2023, said Mr Ong. “It will enable better real-time monitoring, to predict and detect faults. If there is a power outage, the system can also automatically switch to an alternative source of power supply, improving overall resilience of the MRT network,” he added. 

The replacement of the track circuit system with one that can provide early warning and quick recovery for signalling system failure will be completed by 2024, he said.

These works will together come at a cost of more than S$2.5 billion, former Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said in January this year.