More cabin space on new MRT trains for North-South, East-West Lines

SINGAPORE: The first of the new MRT trains for the North-South and East-West Lines will enter passenger service progressively from Sunday (Jun 4), the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced on Thursday.

These new train cabins have more open spaces for strollers and wheelchair users. They are also designed with ergonomic perch seats to accommodate more commuters, said LTA. Currently, trains on the North-South and East-West Lines have no such seats.

The first 16 of the 106 new trains will be rolled out from Sunday.

There will also be an LCD display system above every door to show the route and station information, as well as large panoramic windows for an “improved viewing experience” while travelling along above-ground stations. 

To enhance reliability and enable efficient maintenance, the new trains will be equipped with a “self-test system”, which automatically checks that the trains are fit for operation before services commence each day, said LTA in its news release.

These trains will also subsequently be equipped with “condition-monitoring features” to “pre-emptively identify emerging faults, and enable early rectification”.

The new trains were purchased from Alstom SA, and approximately two trains will be put into service every month. Trains from the earliest generation of six-car trains, with the oldest having been in operation for more than 30 years, will be gradually decommissioned.  

All 106 new trains are expected to be rolled out by the end of 2026.

NEW LEASE OF LIFE FOR DECOMMISSIONED TRAINS

Community partners may choose to give these decommissioned trains a “new lease of life” by adopting train cars or their individual parts. 

LTA has so far worked with educational institutions such as Skool4Kidz, the Rainbow Centre and SUTD, as well as non-profit organisations like SG Enable and the Action for Green Towns Taskforce to upcycle various train parts. It has also partnered with ITE College West to upcycle an entire train car for educational purposes. 

Those interested in acquiring retired trains or upcycling train parts can email LTA_Train_Repurpose [at] lta.gov.sg.

MORE TRAINS FOR NORTH-EAST, CIRCLE LINES

LTA has also purchased six new trains from Alstom to serve the North-East Line (NEL) and 23 new trains to serve the Circle Line (CCL). 

These trains are intended to cater for additional capacity when the North East Line Extension (NELe) and the Circle Line 6 (CCL6) begin operations, said LTA. 

LTA has completed tests for the six new NEL trains and will be handing them over to SBS Transit for further operational testing. It has also received two of the 23 new CCL trains, which will be transported to the Integrated Train Testing Centre later this month for testing and commissioning.