LTA returns first two 3rd-gen Bukit Panjang LRT trains to manufacturer; were prototypes for local testing

The first Alstom Innovia APM 300R (C801B) train was delivered in 2022. (Image: Screengrab from LTA/YouTube)

The first two third-generation Bukit Panjang LRT (BPLRT) trains, the Alstom Innovia APM 300R (C801B), are being returned to the manufacturer for modifications, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) in response to queries from The Straits Times (ST) on Tuesday (Apr 30).

These light rail vehicles were purchased to replace the first-generation BPLRT fleet, which has been running since the system opened in 1999.

First two C801B vehicles returned for modifications

Artist’s Impression of a double-car Alstom Innovia APM 300 (C801B) train for the Bukit Panjang LRT. (Image: LTA)

In response to queries from ST on Tuesday, the LTA said these two light rail vehicles that were returned “were prototypes delivered to Singapore in 2022 after the completion of factory testing”.

The C801B vehicles are jointly manufactured by French train maker Alstom Transport SA and Chinese train maker CRRC Nanjing Puzhen Co., Ltd., with the latter also involved in the mid-life upgrade of the 1st-gen North East Line (NEL) trains, the Alstom Metropolis C751A.

According to crowdsourced trainspotting platform SGTrains Spotters, CRRC Nanjing Puzhen has successfully upgraded nine 1st-gen NEL trains, the latest of which re-entering passenger service in early April this year.

RELATED: First Upgraded Train for North East Line To Enter Passenger Service From Feb 28 »

The two prototype C801B vehicles were intended for “rigorous testing on the BPLRT network to ‘pre-empt issues that could arise under the local operating environment'”, said LTA.

LTA added that tests using the prototype vehicles allowed for the identification of necessary modifications, which were then rolled out to the subsequent vehicles at the China manufacturing plant before shipping out.

The modifications to the two C801B vehicles returned include changes to wiring and the replacement of onboard equipment for better performance and ease of maintenance.

LTA said these prototype vehicles will return to Singapore by 2026, and this “will not affect the completion of the renewal of the BPLRT trains”.

In addition, two new vehicles completed with the necessary modifications arrived in Singapore in late February and are now undergoing testing and commissioning works for entry into passenger service in the third quarter of 2024, said LTA.

To facilitate the testing of new systems and vehicles, BPLRT train services will end an hour earlier, at 10:30pm, on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays until Jun 30.

RELATED: Early Closure of Bukit Panjang LRT at 10:30pm on Fri, Sat & Sun – Mar 22 to Jun 30, 2024 »

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Related Links
Alstom Innovia APM 300R (C801B) – SGTrains
Bukit Panjang LRT – SGTrains

External Links
LTA to return first 2 new Bukit Panjang LRT trains to China plant for modifications – ST

Images: Screengrab from LTA/YouTube, LTA.
This article first appeared on SGTrains.