The seventh-generation North-South and East-West Line trains have arrived in Singapore!

A total of 106 new trains were procured by the Land Transport Authority under Contract R151. 66 trains were initially announced back in 2018, followed by an additional 40 trains announced in 2020.

In all, R151 trains will replace 1st-generation Kawasaki Heavy Industries C151 trains (66 units), 2nd-generation Siemens C651 trains (19 units) and 3rd-generation Kawasaki-Nippon Sharyo C751B trains (21 units) on the NSL and EWL.

Contract R151 was initially awarded to Bombardier Transportation, which has since been acquired by Alstom.

Order for 106 trains

The need for R151 trains first arose as replacements for Kawasaki C151 trains (66 units), Singapore’s oldest generation of rolling stock which had been in service since 1987. The transition of the NSEWL to a new infrastructure ownership and financing model (NRFF) resulted in LTA’s decision to buy new trains to replace the C151s, precluding further refurbishment work planned by SMRT.

In 2020, LTA increased its order by 40 trains, citing a goal of long term fleet renewal. This batch of trains would directly replace 2nd and 3rd generation Siemens C651 (19 units) and Kawasaki-Nippon Sharyo C751B trains (21 units) respectively. The result is a more homogenised rolling stock fleet for the NSEWL in the coming years, with Kawasaki-CRRC trains of similar technical design (C151A, B, and C) making up the remainder of the fleet.

The new R151 trains are built at Changchun Bombardier Rail Vehicles Company Ltd. (CBRC), a joint venture between rail vehicle manufacturers Bombardier and CRRC Changchun.

A long-term service support contract was also inked for an initial period of 10 years, with an option to extend for a further 20 years.

Delivery

Trains arrive from China by sea and were offloaded at Jurong Port. Photos of the unloading process were published to LTA’s social media channels on 21 February 2022.