CRRC Qingdao Sifang Awarded Cross Island Line Contract for 44 New MRT Trains, Delivery From 2027

The new Cross Island Line trains will be supplied by the CRRC Qingdao Sifang consortium. (Image: LTA)

The upcoming Cross Island Line (CRL) will have its first 44 trains supplied by the consortium of CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co., Ltd. and Singapore CRRC Sifang Railway Vehicles Service Pte. Ltd., the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced on Wednesday (Jun 14).

These new trains will come with five doors on each side, wider gangways between train carriages, condition monitoring & diagnostic systems and some trains will be equipped with an Automatic Track Inspection (ATI) system.

Contract Awarded for Cross Island Line

44 New Trains for Cross Island Line

Artist’s Impression of the new CR151 trains for the Cross Island Line. (Image: LTA)

The consortium comprising CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co., Ltd. and Singapore CRRC Sifang Railway Vehicles Service Pte. Ltd. has been awarded the contract (CR151) valued at around $589 million for the provision of 44 new six-carriage trains for the CRL.

The new fleet of CR151 trains will be designed and manufactured by CRRC Qingdao Sifang in Qingdao, China.

“CRRC Sifang has previously supplied trains for Singapore’s North-South-East-West Line and Thomson-East Coast Line, through a consortium formed with Kawasaki Railcar Manufacturing,” said LTA.

It added that the Chinese rolling stock manufacturer also “has an established track record internationally, having supplied trains to Beijing, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Chicago and Sao Paulo”.

LTA said the Contract CR151 includes the option to procure up to 11 additional trains and the option for the manufacturer to provide Long-Term Service Support (LTSS).

LEARN MORE: CRRC Qingdao Sifang CR151 trains »

Features of the new CR151 trains for the Cross Island Line

Similar to the T251 trains on the Thomson-East Coast Line, the CR151 trains for the Cross Island Line will come with five doors on each side. (Image: SGTrains)

To facilitate quicker boarding and alighting, this model of rolling stock will come with five doors on each side, similar to the trains for the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) that was also supplied by CRRC Qingdao Sifang through a consortium formed with Kawasaki Railcar.

For better accessibility within the train, the gangway connectors between train carriages will also be wider at 1.6 metres, compared to the 1.4 metres used on trains for existing MRT lines.

To enhance operations and maintenance, the new CR151 trains will be equipped with condition monitoring & diagnostic systems for early detection of potential faults onboard, and some trains come with an ATI system for real-time monitoring of running rail and power rail.

The CR151 trains of the CRL will also be integrated with the line’s Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) signalling system, capable of fully-automated train operations at a Grade of Automation (GoA) 4 without the need for any onboard train attendants.

RELATED: Siemens Mobility Awarded Cross Island Line Contract for Signalling & Platform Screen Doors Systems »

Cross Island Line to utilise Overhead Conductor Rail for power supply

Similar to the North East Line, the CRL trains will be powered through an overhead power supply instead of the third rail system on all other MRT lines, placed alongside the running rails. (Image: SGTrains)

Apart from the North East Line (NEL), the CRL will be the second MRT line in Singapore to utilise the 1,500 V D.C. overhead conductor rail (OCR) system that will “increase energy efficiency” compared to the typical 750 V third rail system used on all other MRT lines.

RELATED: How is the North East Line powered Differently? »

LTA said the new fleet of fully automated 6-car CRL trains is expected to be delivered progressively from 2027, in time for the commencement of CRL Phase 1 operation in 2030.

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Cross Island Line To Start Operating From 2030, Construction Work Has Officially Started

Related Links
CRRC Qingdao Sifang CR151 – SGTrains
Cross Island Line – SGTrains

External Links
Purchase of 44 New Trains for the Cross Island Line – LTA [Accessed 14 Jun 2023]

Images: LTA, LTA, SGTrains and SGTrains.
This article first appeared on SGTrains.
Last updated on 27 May 2024.