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The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has award a consortium a contract to supply 44 new trains for the upcoming Cross Island Line.

The consortium consists of CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co., Ltd and Singapore CRRC Sifang Railway Vehicles Service Pte. Ltd.

These new trains will be fully automated.

According to the artist's impression provided, the trains will also come with striking yellow accents on the exterior.

Each train car will have five doors on each side, just like the trains that currently ply the Thomson-East Coast Line.

Another new feature is the wider gangway between each Cross Island Line train car. They will be 1.6 metres wide, instead of the more conventional 1.4 metres. This is to improve accessibility within the train.

The new trains will include condition monitoring and diagnostic systems for early detection of potential equipment faults. Some trains will also be equipped with an Automated Track Inspection system to monitor the condition of the running rail and power system in real time.

The trains are expected to arrive in Singapore in 2027, in time for the commencement of Phase 1 of the Cross Island Line in 2030.

Cross Island Line

The Cross Island Line is Singapore's eighth MRT line and our longest fully underground line, spanning more than 50km long.

It will stretch from the east to the west, and connect to other MRT lines along the way. This will create more alternative travel routes for commuters, and spread out the commuter load.

The line will open in three phases.

The 29-kilometre long Phase 1 of the Cross Island Line (CRL1) will comprise 12 stations from Aviation Park to Bright Hill.

This will serve residential and industrial areas such as Loyang, Tampines, Pasir Ris, Defu, Hougang, Serangoon North and Ang Mo Kio.

More than 100,000 households will benefit from CRL1, and common recreational spaces such as Changi Beach Park and Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park will also become accessible by public transport.

Construction for CRL1 has commenced and is targeted to be completed by 2030.

More information on the Cross Island Line can be found here.

Top image: LTA