Speech by Minister Khaw Boon Wan at the Signing Ceremony for 66 New Trains for the North-South and East-West Lines

Friends and colleagues,

1.     Our first set of 66 MRT trains arrived in Singapore more than 32 years ago. The MRT system has many core components, but to the commuters, trains are the most tangible aspect of their daily experience.

2.     We have worked to improve our trains over the years. Between 2004 and 2008, we refurbished the original 66 trains. Today, they have been fitted out with a new signalling system, after a year of hard work by SMRT, LTA and Thales. At the same time, we have expanded our fleet, with nearly 200 trains running on both North-South and East-West lines.

3.     The first set of 66 trains is still running today. Thirty years of wear and tear is significant. There is a limit to how much upgrading and refurbishment we can do to keep these trains running smoothly. Hence, after decades of service, it will soon be time to retire them. The LTA is considering preserving one or two of these ‘pioneer’ trains for display to the public.

Improvements in New-Generation Trains

4.     We will be replacing the ‘pioneer’ trains with a new fleet of new-generation trains. With each batch of new trains, we push for higher standards of reliability and maintainability. For example, the new trains will be fitted out with a suite of condition monitoring sensors and back-end analytic systems. Our engineers will be able to use these systems to diagnose and rectify anomalies early, significantly reducing the likelihood that these anomalies become train faults and affect commuters. Four of these trains will also be fitted out with the Automatic Track Inspection (or ATI) system of cameras, lasers and sensors. They will help us detect rail defects and avoid train disruptions.

5.     The new trains will be designed to cater to all commuters, including those with different needs. Without reducing the number of seats in the trains, our engineers have catered for wider spaces near the doors to allow passengers to enter and exit the trains more easily. Parents with strollers, wheelchair users, and commuters with personal mobility devices or foldable bicycles will all be able to benefit from the new design.

6.     After a thorough assessment of the tender bids, the LTA Board has awarded the contract for the 66 new trains to Bombardier. Bombardier is a familiar partner in Singapore. They have supplied all 92 trains for the Downtown Line, and have built a strong working relationship with us. This means that there will be synergies in technical expertise across all three lines in future. As part of the contract for the new trains, Bombardier has an option to provide technical and logistics support which will facilitate system upgrades and replacements to enhance the trains’ reliability and availability.

Strong Public Support Crucial to Success of Asset Renewals

7.     New trains are one part of our comprehensive renewal of the major assets on the North-South and East-West lines. Commuters will feel the benefits as and when each asset is renewed. We have already completed the replacement of the sleepers and the third rails. We have completed the switch-over to the new signalling system on the North-South Line. The new signalling system has also been used on the East-West Line for daily passenger service since 28 May.

8.     Strong public support is critical to the success of our renewal works. I am grateful for commuters’ patience over the past year and a half of Early Closures and Late Openings, or ECLO for short. The extra engineering hours granted by ECLO have enabled us to accelerate the re-signalling of the East-West Line as well as renewal of other assets.

9.     We are halfway through the asset renewal programme for the North-South and East-West lines. Later this year, we will commence the critical task of renewing the power supply. Work on replacing the track circuits will also begin later this year. All these works will again require more periods of ECLO. I seek commuters’ understanding in advance.

Conclusion

10.    Our work is never finished. But each step we take marks further progress in our efforts to provide commuters with a safe, comfortable, and reliable journey. 2018 has been a good year so far.  Let’s keep it that way.

Thank you.