LTA to purchase more trains for NEL, CCL

• QX179R

  1 Feb 12, 17:48

  SINGAPORE: The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has awarded the contracts to purchase 18 North East Line (NEL) trains and 16 Circle Line (CCL) trains to enhance rail capacity in the coming years.

  The contracts for the procurement of the new NEL and CCL trains have been awarded to Alstom Transport S.A. / Alstom Transport (S) Pte Ltd Consortium. The total value of the contracts is S$368.9 million.

  It was previously announced that the NEL would receive 12 new trains. That is now increased to 18 new trains and these will be delivered progressively from 2015. The LTA said the trains will cater to projected demand and increase the NEL's peak capacity by about 70 per cent.
  
  As for the CCL, the 16 new trains are expected to increase the peak capacity of the line by about 40 per cent when the new trains are added progressively from 2015. This will help meet ridership growth and enhance service levels of the CCL.
  
  Separately, SMRT has awarded the contract to replace the signalling system on the North-South East-West Line (NSEWL) to Thales Solutions Asia Pte Ltd. The contract is valued at S$195 million.
  
  SMRT said the project, which will be completed in phases from 2016, will make it possible for trains to run at an improved frequency of 100 seconds, down from 120 seconds currently. This would mean reduced waiting times for commuters.
  
  The replacement work covers more than 100 kilometres of tracks on the NSEW Lines.
  
  The new signalling system to be used will be a "Communications-Based Train Control" system. A train's precise location and speed are tracked and safety gaps between trains are not based on signal blocks but between trains. Such a system can reduce the time gap between trains entering and exiting stations by 20 seconds, to 100 seconds, during peak periods.
  
  The existing signalling system on the NSEW Lines is a "fixed-block" system that divides the tracks into blocks and can detect where a train is when it moves into a new section. For safety reasons, trains must travel at least one signalling block apart from each other. With this existing system, a time gap of at least 120 seconds is required between a train that is leaving a station and the next one that is entering.
  
  The LTA has also awarded the contract for the signalling of the Tuas West Extension valued at S$40.3 million.
  
  -CNA/ac

• charlize

  1 Feb 12, 21:37

  Enahnce rail capacity means they are bringing in more people.

   

  Haiz.

• Medicated Oil

  1 Feb 12, 21:50

  I am very worried.

  MRT - 368 million

  Pond - 750 million

  $$$ come frome where ?

  Answer - 2012 Budget

• deathmaster

  2 Feb 12, 00:42

  CCL can handle or not.

  Currently already so many breakdowns and disruptions, still haven solve the problem. Adding more trains will only cause more breakdowns.

• alize

  2 Feb 12, 01:07

  So MRT pays for the trains or taxpayers pay for the trains? MRT just operate free trains and collect profits?

• Jacky Woo

  2 Feb 12, 01:14

  gov majority own SMRT rite

• Jacky Woo

  2 Feb 12, 01:15

  Originally posted by Medicated Oil:

  I am very worried.

  
  i am more worried than u as long as ho ching is still in charge of temasek holdings.

• sbst275

  2 Feb 12, 15:43

  Originally posted by alize:

  So MRT pays for the trains or taxpayers pay for the trains? MRT just operate free trains and collect profits?

  
  replacement sets to be paid by operators

• charlize

  2 Feb 12, 20:26

  Add a few more trains but also add in another 1 million new residents.

   

  Confirm will breakdown again.