Alstom Innovia APM300 (C801B)
Alstom Innovia APM 300R exterior
In service	TBC
Manufacturer	CRRC Puzhen Bombardier Transportation Systems Co., Ltd.
Constructed	TBC
Number built	19 Vehicles (19 trainsets)
Formation	1 motor car per trainset
Fleet number	133 – 151
Operators	SMRT Trains
Depot(s)	Ten Mile Junction
Line(s) served	Bukit Panjang LRT
Technical Data
Doors	4 per car
Electrification	600V AC power rail
Track gauge	Central guideway with rubber tyres

The Alstom Innovia APM 300R (C801B) is a rubber-tyred automated people mover (APM) train to be introduced on the Bukit Panjang LRT (BPLRT). These third-generation light rail vehicles are capable of operating in single and double car formations, and were initially slated to enter service in 2021.

The procurement of these trains forms part of a wider overhaul of the Bukit Panjang LRT network. Under a S$344 million contract awarded to Bombardier in 2018, the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) would carry out a CBTC resignalling upgrade, refit second-generation C801A trains with CBTC, upgrade existing power rails, and supply 19 new trains which are slated to replace first-generation C801 trains which have been in service since 1999.

The 19 new LRT vehicles are manufactured by CRRC Puzhen Bombardier Transportation Systems Co., Ltd. in Wuhu, China.

Alstom completed its acquisition of Bombardier Transportation in January 2021. As such, the new trains were delivered to the Land Transport Authority by Alstom (as Alstom INNOVIA trains), even though the contract was initially awarded to Bombardier.

Background

Contract 801B (C801B), titled Asset Replacement and Reliability Enhancement Works for Bukit Panjang Light Rapid Transit, was awarded to Bombardier (Singapore) Pte Ltd on 7 March 2018, encompassing overhaul works for the entire Bukit Panjang LRT line. As part of the Contract, 19 single-car trains were procured, to replace the 19 C801 Trains which entered service in November 1999.

The trains are part of Alstom’s INNOVIA family of APM trains, which Alstom inherited following the company’s Bombardier acquisition. Trains operate on a central guideway and draw power from a power rail embedded within the guideway. For signalling, trains are compatible with Alstom’s Cityflo 650 radio-based Communications Based Train Control (CBTC) signalling system, enabling fully automated operation.

Features

The new cars will offer passengers greater comfort with improved air-conditioning performance. On the maintenance side, a more efficient Alternating Current (AC) propulsion motor requiring less maintenance effort will be fitted, and interior LED lighting will be eco-friendly. Condition monitoring systems for real-time detection of rail alignment and predictive maintenance will also be fitted to these vehicles as well, monitored by a Train Control Management System, to support system analytics and predictive maintenance over the life cycle of the system.

Delivery

These trains are scheduled for delivery between September 2020 to October 2022, with an expected operational date of 1 December 2022, according to a May 2019 article on Chinese news site rail-transit.com. In an LTA press release in December 2019, two vehicles would enter revenue service starting from the second quarter of 2021, with more progressively added to the fleet by 2022.

The first train was delivered to Singapore in April 2022, and lifted by crane onto the tracks on the early morning of 24 April 2022.

Alstom Innovia APM300 (C801B) Train 134 Lifting

C801B LTA train delivered to Singapore (LTA video screengrab)

Train Formation

Trains can be formed of either one car, or two cars coupled together. Every car is identified by a three-digit number, from 133 to 151. All vehicles are built by CRRC Puzhen Bombardier Transportation Systems Co., Ltd. at their Wuhu Plant.