SINGAPORE: Twelve new MRT trains will be the first in Singapore to have “tip-up seats” to create more standing space for commuters during peak hours.
The new trains on the North-South and East-West Lines (NSEWL) will have four sets of three tip-up seats located in the centre of each car. The seats will be folded during morning and evening peak periods, and unfolded during off-peak hours to increase seating capacity. This can only be done by the train driver.
Only train drivers will be able to fold and unfold these tip-up seats. (Photo: Christy Yip)
The trains, which will also carry the Land Transport Authority’s (LTA) logo for the first time, will have red and green stripes – the colours of the NSEWL – against a white background.
Once all the new trains have been introduced, the NSEWL will have a fleet of 198 trains, says LTA. (Photo: Christy Yip)
The 12 new trains will also come with an improved Current Collector Device (CCD) shear-off detection feature to provide timely alerts if any of the CCD shoes unexpectedly lose contact with the third rail, which provides electrical power to the train.
The trains are part of the 57 new trains that have been progressively put into service since 2017 on the NSEWL. A total of 47 trains have been delivered, and the remaining 10 will be delivered by the end of this year, bringing the total number of trains on the two lines to 198 – three times the number of trains the NSEWL started with.
The 12 new trains are being built by the Kawasaki Sifang Consortium in China. LTA said it has stationed its engineers at the factory in Qingdao to ensure “consistently high standards” during train assembly and testing.
Trains that have been delivered to Singapore will undergo a further round of tests, LTA added. Once the tests are completed, the trains are expected to be rolled out by the second half of this year.
LTA will also retire the NSEWL’s original fleet of 66 trains that have been in service for more than 30 years.
A contract to replace those 66 trains will be awarded in the second quarter of this year and the trains will undergo tests before being deployed in service from 2022.
