Singapore’s MRT network may have encountered its fair share of operational hiccups from time to time, but no one has ever found fault with its clean and minimalist design.
On Wednesday (10 Jul), a Twitter user who goes by the handle @dependsmaybe posted a tweet claiming that train stations on the Chennai Metro in India were modelled after Singapore’s train system.
It also came with a picture showing the cabin of the train, which looks exactly like one of our MRT trains.
And so we decided to investigate the validity of that statement by checking out pictures of Chennai Metro. It turns out that there might be some truth to it after all.
Right off the bat, Chennai Metro’s train station entrance looks exactly like those you’d find in Singapore, down to the marble tiles and huge information boards.
Turn around, you’ll also realise that there’s something quite familiar with the staircase. Hint hint — the metal railings.
As you reach the station itself, things start to appear slightly different, especially the metal detectors that separate male and female commuters.
But when you look for that ticketing machine to top up your card, you may realise that it is basically a clone of what we see in our MRT stations.
Then when you proceed to the platform to board your train, it’s – surprise – Downtown Line, except in India.
But if you think that’s it, you ain’t seen nothing yet.
The cabins of Chennai Metro’s trains are a replica of those on our MRT trains, aside from the seemingly narrower middle aisle.
See those glass panels on both ends of the seats? Those look exactly like the ones we love to lean on during our morning commute.
You must be feeling slightly confused by the similarities by now, so here’s a picture of our MRT cabins for a quick comparison.
Though there is little doubt by now that Chennai Metro bears an uncanny resemblance to our Singapore’s MRT, we have yet to find anything concrete that suggests they took inspiration from our MRT system. Or even, possibly, that their trains are older models of ours.
Regardless, if you’re heading to Chennai soon, why not give their Metro a ride? We’re sure it will remind you of Singapore even though you’re miles away in India.
Featured image from Twitter and SGTrains.
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