Six new trains added to the North-East Line from Jul 28

SINGAPORE: Six new trains for the North-East Line will progressively be added to the fleet from Friday (Jul 28). 

This will take the total number of trains serving the North-East Line from 43 to 49.

“Together with the NEL extension in 2024, the new trains will bring about greater convenience for residents and commuters by shortening the headway and improving the frequency of service on NEL,” said Acting Minister for Transport Chee Hong Tat, speaking to journalists during a doorstop interview on one of the new trains. 

“The trains also come with new features such as condition monitoring systems and the automatic track inspection systems, which will improve reliability.” 

All six new trains are equipped with condition monitoring systems, which collect data from equipment onboard the trains, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) in a press release on Thursday. 

This allows for pre-emptive maintenance measures to be taken before faults occur, enhancing service reliability.

Two of the new trains are also fitted with an automatic track inspection system, the first trains on the North-East Line to have them. 

This system monitors track conditions while the trains are at work via cameras and sensors installed on the underframe of the vehicle. 

“This will improve detection of track defects, such as rail cracks, rail corrugation and missing rail fasteners,” said LTA in the press release. 

The six new trains were manufactured and assembled by Alstom in Barcelona, Spain. They arrived in April 2021 and have been undergoing testing since then.

In addition to the new trains, LTA added that the mid-life upgrade of the 25 first-generation North-East Line trains is “progressing smoothly”.

Four trains have been upgraded so far, and the remaining ones will be progressively upgraded by 2026. They will get newly renovated interiors, as well as new condition-monitoring capabilities and air-conditioning and ventilation systems.