Contract J151 Trains
| Contract J151 | |
| In service | 2026 onwards |
| Manufacturer | To Be Awarded |
| Constructed | To Be Awarded |
| Number built | TBC vehicles (TBC trainsets) |
| Formation | 3 cars per trainset, provision for 4 cars per trainset |
| Fleet number | — |
| Operators | — |
| Depot(s) | Tengah, Peng Kang Hill |
| Line served | Jurong Region Line (JRL) |
| Technical Data | |
| Car body | TBC |
| Doors | TBC per car |
| Electrification | Third rail |
| Track gauge | TBC |
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) called for a tender (Contract J151 – Trains for Jurong Region Line) on 10 December 2018 to procure a number of 3-car trains for the Jurong Region Line (JRL).
The Contract is likely to include an option for the purchase, delivery and modification of the 3-car trainsets to a 4-car trainset.
Features
Each JRL Train car will be at a length of 18.6m and width of 2.75m, with a capacity of between 150 to 200 commuters.
Tender
The tender for the Contract J151 Trains closed on 13 June 2019, at 12:00pm sharp, after being extended multiple times from 8 April 2019, 6 May 2019 and 30 May 2019.
As of tender closing time, participating companies were:
| S/N | Tenderer | Tender Amount |
| 1 | Alstom Transporte S.A. – Alstom Transport (S) Pte Ltd Consortium | — |
| 2 | Bombardier (Singapore) Pte Ltd | — |
| 3 | Hyundai Rotem Company | — |
| 4 | Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. – CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co., Ltd. – Kawasaki Heavy Industries (Singapore) Pte. Ltd. – Singapore CRRC Sifang Railway Vehicles Service Pte. Ltd. Consortium | — |
References
- Smaller train cars for Jurong Region Line to navigate tight curves in built-up areas – The Straits Times
- Contract J151 Schedule of Tenders Received – LTA
Back to Rolling Stock
I think Bombardier will win this contract, the newer rolling stock are done by them. The Bombardiers model are pretty comfortable to ride on, so why not?
Jurong Region line will use the same rolling stock as the Pujiang line in Shanghai, China. Except it is longer.
Of the 4 bidders in this contract, only Bombardier has made rubber-tyred trains before. So it’s obvious that Bombardier will win the contract, and looking at their latest model, the rolling stock will be the Innovia APM 300.
(Bear in mind, JRL runs along residential area. Trains must be as quiet as possible. Thus, only rubber-tyred trains.)
(And Bombardier is the only one that has rubber-tyred trains. Kawasaki is the other one, but in this tender, they partner with CRRC, which has no rubber-tyred trains. So, only Bombardier, with their Innovia APM 300.)
(Why have a train that only uses Kawasaki design but actually produced by CRRC, which has never done rubber-tyred trains before, when we can have a train that uses Bombardier design and is produced entirely by Bombardier? The quality in procurement now and warranty later is assured by Bombardier, but not by Kawasaki-CRRC, which is actually just CRRC in the name of Kawasaki.)
Anyway, the Innovia APM 300 in Pujiang line also uses 4 cars per train, which is the eventual formation of the Jurong Region line rolling stock.
So, most probably the systems and all other technical specifications are the same as the Pujiang line in Shanghai, China.
The only difference is the length. Innovia APM 300 length is 12.8m, Jurong Region line rolling stock is 18.6m. But this difference is minor as the dimensions can be customised by Bombardier to meet the client’s different requirements.
I have done an analysis of the JRL tendering and other aspects of the JRL, in PowerPoint and exported it into video.
Link to the video is as follows:
https://youtu.be/SUuViYW05_o
Lucky for us, the Bombardier Innovia APM 300 will be introduced into the Bukit Panjang LRT line from next year onwards. We can get to experience the JRL rolling stock from next year onwards. Yay.
This is a major development to the Jurong Region Line, as we would roughly know what is the rolling stock that would run on the Jurong Region Line.
After all, the Jurong Region Line trains would have a smaller width of 2.75m.
If it is Alstom, it is the “AM5-M2 and AM4-M4”, similar to the one used on the Line 2 and Line 4 in Budapest, Hungary. (width = 2.78m)
If it is Bombardier, it is the “Bombardier Innovia APM 256”, similar to the one used on the Wenhu Line in Taiwan, China. (width = 2.56m)
If it is Hyundai Rotem, it is the “Diesel Multiple Unit”, similar to the one used on the Philippine National Railways in the Philippines. (width = 2.85m)
If it is Kawasaki Heavy Industries – CRRC Qingdao Sifang, it is similar to the “Tokyo Metro 15000 series”, used on the Tokyo Metro Tōzai Line in Tokyo, Japan. (width = 2.85m)
Honestly, given the width requirement, only the “Bombardier Innovia APM 256” meets the requirement.
Also, the Wenhu Line (where the “Bombardier Innovia APM 256” runs on) in Taiwan, China is about the same length (25.1km) and has the same number of stations (24) as the Jurong Region Line (24km and 24 stations), and uses up to 4 cars per train configuration.
The Wenhu Line is also built on densely populated areas, and has tight curves in its alignment. Using the same train model as the Wenhu Line on the Jurong Region Line may be the most appropriate solution.
So for this tender, I would say it is obviously Bombardier who will win the tender, and the train model is probably the “Bombardier Innovia APM 256” used on the Wenhu Line in Taiwan, China.
Too early to tell or speculate?
Firstly, the JRL trains will all be 3 cars long and each carriage will be 18m long by 2.75m wide. The wenhu line carriages are much shorter and narrower (13.7m x 2.56m) than what the LTA intends to look for. The trains will also have to be equipped with gangways, so the chances of APM trains being used is zero. Line length and station count being similar to other systems overseas DOES NOT mean the LTA must use the same system as Taipei.
Secondly, we won’t be using Diesel Multiple Units if Hyundai Rotem wins. The JRL will be powered by 750V DC third rail.
And lastly, the JRL could most likely be a rubber tyre system as it close to houses and has many tight turns. It is unlikely that steel wheel trains will be used unless there are some special modifications made to reduce noise but even so, the reduction in noise won’t be that much too compared to rubber tyre trains. So if Alstom were to win, it would most likely be supplying trains similar to the new MP14 trains of Paris metro.
For Jurong Region Line , both Bombardier and Alstom have the necessary experience and expertise to produce rubber tyred trains with walk thru gangways so it ‘s doesn’t have to an APM. APM is not considered an MRT system so it ‘s definitely out. Such systems are already operational in Paris , Lausanne (these two are automated) as well as Montreal just to name whereas Kawasaki and Hyundai is just trying their luck since they have no such relevant experience.
Kawasaki has the Sapporo Subway. Not much, but better than nothing I guess.
Apparently the JRL will be similar to the Kelana Jaya and Sri Petaling LRT lines in KL.
I am Hoping For Either Siemens Or Bombardier To Win.