Following the conclusion of a three-month pilot, public transport operator SMRT will be rolling out melodic tunes to signal train arrivals and departures on the MRT lines it operates.

The chimes, which can be heard in trains and on station platforms, were created by local not-for-profit arts company, The TENG Company.

President of SMRT Trains, Lam Sheau Kai, told Mothership that SMRT received "numerous positive feedback", gathered across various channels, including social media and its website.

"Commuters shared that the melodic chimes were uplifting and pleasant, hoping that this initiative will be permanently rolled out to our stations and trains."

These melodic chimes will be progressively implemented in all trains and in 77 MRT stations under SMRT's purview, starting Feb. 14.

These stations are:

SMRT-operated stations that are not on this list will continue to utilise the current chimes.

Aside from refreshing the commuting experience, these new melodic chimes serve an important function: They provide aural cues for commuters who are visually impaired.

"This initiative will also make commuting within our network more inclusive, especially for those who rely on their auditory senses for a safer and smoother commute,” said Lam.

While there were concerns raised with regard to noise, SMRT said it took measures to address these issues.

They include adjusting the level of sound and the duration of the chimes.

What the new chimes sound like

There are three sets in total -- one for each SMRT-operated MRT line -- and each was inspired by a different local folk tune: The Chinese children’s ditty 《三轮车》 ("The Tricycle"), the Malay folk song "Chan Mali Chan", and "Singai Naadu", the Tamil national day work composed and arranged by Shabir Sulthan.

TikTok user @adiel_rusyaidi uploaded footage of these new chimes in 2023.

Here are a couple recorded at Somerset MRT station for the arrival of the southbound train to Marina South Pier MRT station and northbound train to Jurong East MRT station:

@adiel_rusyaidiThe vibe these two melodies give off are so different! Probably to distinguish between the two train service directions♬ original sound - Adiel

And here's a chime that was recorded at Changi Airport MRT station:

@adiel_rusyaidiHappy vibes when arriving in Singapore, but sad vibes when leaving♬ original sound - Adiel

And here are two different chimes that were recorded in a train. The first was played before the next station was announced while the second played just as the train arrived at the station:

@adiel_rusyaidiIt's been a long time since SMRT tried out new chimes for their announcements 🤩♬ original sound - Adiel

A lot of thought went into the composing of the new melodies, according to co-founder of The TENG Company, Samuel Wong.

"The pieces were chosen to reflect Singapore’s multiracial identity and are used to distinguish the various different lines (North-South, Circle and East-West respectively)," Wong wrote in a LinkedIn post.

Wong also wrote that their research found that visually-impaired commuters listen for the "extremity of sound". This finding influenced the way The TENG Company crafted the chimes.

"Our chimes create this extremity by choosing to put a brighter sound for trains going in one direction and a mellower sound for trains going in converse direction. The jingles were created in the same key and in harmony and were designed to be able to be played simultaneously should the need arise."

If you're interested in what else went into the crafting of these melodic chimes, Wong's LinkedIn post provides more insights into the research that The TENG Company did.

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Cover image credits: shawnanggg on Unsplash, @adiel_rusyaidi/TikTok.