SMRT boosts train count by 25%

35 trains will soon be rolled out.

SMRT is working with the Ministry of Transport (MOT) and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to accelerate train renewal and facility expansion programmes to improve the service availability standards and frequency of our trains over the next three years.

Following the Committee of Inquiry (COI) into the December 2011 train service disruption and its recommendations to address inadequacies in areas of engineering and maintenance, SMRT has made continual progress in improving train service reliability.

These efforts have improved train service reliability, with the number of unplanned train withdrawals for every 100,000 kilometres falling from 3.41 in January 2012, to 2.6 for the second-half of 2012.

SMRT currently has a fleet of 128 trains on the North-South and East-West Lines (NSEWL). These comprise four different generations of trains, with the oldest from 1987 and newest from 2011. These trains were commissioned in different years and are now at varying stages of their life spans, with different attendant challenges in their maintenance and renewal regimes.

To ensure the trains continue to operate effectively and optimally, we will be upgrading and refurbishing our first and second generations of trains. This will include the replacement of critical train components and systems, and the refurbishment of train interiors. To address the increase in ridership and capacity demands, 35 new trains will be added to the existing fleet. These new trains will be delivered progressively from 2014 to 2016, and will increase the number of trains by more than 25% so that reliability and availability rates can be improved.

To accommodate the requirements of the train renewal programme and the stepping up of train maintenance activities, depot infrastructures and facilities will also be expanded. The on-going construction of the 26-hectare Tuas Depot is slated to be completed by 2016 to provide additional space for the maintenance of the increased fleet of trains.

Discussion is also underway with LTA to accelerate the expansion of the existing workshop at Bishan Depot to accommodate four more maintenance tracks. This will allow maintenance and repair activities to proceed at the best possible pace.Commitment to enhancing service reliability, availability, and train frequency.