66 New MRT Trains Replaced In $827 Million Deal Will Be Made In China

MRT Trains For NSEWL Designed In Singapore & Gemany, And Manufactured In China

After 30 years of plying Singapore’s MRT tracks, 66 trains along the North-South and East-West Lines (NSEWL) are scheduled to be replaced.

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The new trains by Canadian company Bombadier cost $827 million, and will be more “accessible for all commuters”.

Check out Land Transport Authority’s (LTA) sneak preview, posted on Wed (25 Jul).

Made in China

Previously, NSEWL’s old fleet were manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries in Japan, with parts sourced from Europe.

Our new 66-strong train fleet, will be designed by Singapore and Germany — and manufactured in China, according to TODAY.

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Bombardier Transportation has supplied our Downtown Line with all 92 trains thus far.

They’ll also be renewing the Bukit Panjang Light Rail Transit within 4 years in a $344 million deal — inclusive of 10 years’ worth of maintenance.

First batch due in 2021

Singaporeans can expect the brand new trains to be delivered in about 3 years, by 2021.

Tip-up seats are really becoming a thing
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Newly designed trains will allow passengers to enter and exit easily “without reducing the number of seats in the trains”, said Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan on Wed (25 Jul).

With wider spaces near the doors, the new trains will assist:

• Wheelchair users
• Stroller-laden parents
• Personal Mobility Device or bicycle users

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They’ll also be laden with cameras, lasers & sensors to “diagnose and fix anomalies early”, in order to reduce the likelihood of “train faults”.

When quizzed on why there’s a need to replace the trains, Mr Khaw quipped that,

Thirty years of wear and tear is significant.

Land Transport Authority may preserve a few “pioneer” trains as a nostalgic exhibit for the public.

One more thing to look forward to

We can expect 12 new NSEWL trains from the old supplier & CSR Qingdao Sifang Co in service by mid-2019.

Yes, these trains with rows of “tip-up seats” to be precise.

https://mustsharenews.com/lta-mrt-seats/

Perhaps some fresh train designs from Bombadier won’t be a bad idea after all.

Are you looking forward to a refreshed NSEWL fleet? Or are our MRT woes due to other factors?

Let us know in the comments below.

Featured image from Kawasaki Heavy Industries.