The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has awarded a contract worth approximately S$250 million to Alstom for the purchase of six North East Line (NEL) and 11 new Circle Line (CCL) trains to cater for additional capacity when the North East Line Extension (NELe) and Circle Line 6 (CCL6) begin operations in 2023 and 2025 respectively.

2.  With the new trains, the existing NEL fleet will be expanded by 14% from 43 to 49 trains and the existing CCL fleet will increase by 17% from 64 to 75 trains. The trains will be manufactured and assembled in Alstom’s manufacturing facility in Barcelona, Spain and progressively shipped to Singapore from 2020 for NEL and 2021 for CCL. Thereafter, the trains will undergo testing and commissioning before they are put into service when the extensions open.

New trains to be equipped with predictive monitoring systems

3.  To enable a more robust maintenance regime, all the new trains will be equipped with condition monitoring systems to gather data from equipment on the trains. This enables continuous monitoring of the health of the equipment and allows the operator to carry out predictive maintenance for the trains. The current collector shoes on the new CCL trains will also be equipped with sensors to enable the operator to react promptly and take necessary measures if any dislodgement is detected.

4.  In addition, two of the new CCL three-car trains will each be fitted with an Automatic Track Inspection (ATI) System, which enables monitoring of the running rails, track equipment and sleepers while the trains are in operation. The ATI System supplements existing track inspection activities for timely and more effective identification of rail and trackside components which require maintenance.

About NELe

5.  The 1.6km NELe (six-car train system) comprises one station – Punggol Coast station. When completed in 2023, NELe will open in tandem with the first phase of developments at the Punggol Digital District. It will bring rail connectivity to the area and support plans to develop the district into an attractive live-work-learn-play environment for residents, workers and students.

6.  Punggol Coast station will bring the total number of stations on the NEL to 17, including six interchange stations connected to other MRT lines. NELe will cut down travelling time from Punggol North to the city centre by up to 15 minutes.

About CCL6

7.  The 4.3km CCL6 will have three stations, Keppel, Cantonment and Prince Edward, and will close the loop for the CCL by connecting HarbourFront Station to Marina Bay Station. When the CCL6 stations are completed in 2025, the CCL will have a total of 33 stations, including 12 interchange stations connected to other MRT lines. It will also expand the rail network to areas such as Spottiswoode and the southern edge of the existing Central Business District (CBD).

8.  With CCL6, commuters will enjoy a direct route between areas in the west, such as Pasir Panjang and Kent Ridge, key employment areas in the CBD, and upcoming developments in the Marina Bay area. Commuters travelling from areas such as Paya Lebar and Mountbatten will also enjoy quicker and more direct access to the retail and office centres in the HarbourFront area.