Alstom Metropolis C830
Encyclopedia
Rolling stock
Rolling stock comprises all the vehicles that move on a railway. It usually includes both powered and unpowered vehicles, for example locomotives, railroad cars, coaches and wagons...
to be used in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
’s Mass Rapid Transit
Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)
The Mass Rapid Transit or MRT is a rapid transit system that forms the backbone of the railway system in Singapore, spanning the entire city-state. The initial section of the MRT, between Yio Chu Kang Station and Toa Payoh Station, opened in 1987 establishing itself as the second-oldest metro...
(MRT) lines. Alstom
Alstom
Alstom is a large multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2010-2011 Alstom had annual sales of over €20.9 billion, and employed more than 85,000 people in 70 countries. Alstom's headquarters are...
was contracted in 2000 (as part of turnkey contract C830) by the Land Transport Authority
Land Transport Authority
The Land Transport Authority is a statutory board under the Ministry of Transport of the Singapore Government.-History:...
(LTA
LTA
LTA may refer to*Leave Travel Concession in India*Land Transport Authority in Singapore*Land Trust Alliance in the United States*Lawn Tennis Association in the United Kingdom*Lieutenant*Lighter than air*Lipoteichoic acid*Lost time accident...
) in Singapore to supply the trains for the Circle MRT Line
Circle MRT Line
The Circle Line is Singapore's fourth Mass Rapid Transit line, operated by SMRT Corporation. This underground line is currently long with 28 stations and is fully automatically operated...
.
The automated system version, previously known as “moving block systems”, CBTC systems do not require traditional "fixed-block track circuits" for determining train position. Instead, they rely on "continuous two-way digital communication" between each controlled train and a wayside control center, which may control an area of a railroad line, a complete line, or a group of lines. Recent studies consistently show that CBTC systems reduce life-cycle costs for the overall rail property and enhance operational flexibility and control.
Despite being similar to the fully underground North East MRT Line
North East MRT Line
The North East MRT Line is the third Mass Rapid Transit line in Singapore and the world's second longest fully underground, automated and driverless, rapid transit line after Singapore's Circle MRT Line. The line is 20 km long with 16 stations and operated by SBS Transit. Travelling from one end...
, the decision was made to power the three-car trains along the upcoming Circle Line
Circle MRT Line
The Circle Line is Singapore's fourth Mass Rapid Transit line, operated by SMRT Corporation. This underground line is currently long with 28 stations and is fully automatically operated...
by third rail instead of overhead catenary. 40 trainsets of three cars each were purchased for the Circle Line. LTA says that they will be adding 16 new trains to the Circle Line
Circle MRT Line
The Circle Line is Singapore's fourth Mass Rapid Transit line, operated by SMRT Corporation. This underground line is currently long with 28 stations and is fully automatically operated...
by 2015.
These cars, although similar to their counterparts running on the North East Line
Alstom Metropolis C751A
The Alstom Metropolis C751A are the first generation of communication-based train control rolling stock that has been in use in Singapore’s Mass Rapid Transit lines since 2003...
, do not feature LCD displays in each car. Also, the front of the train features an extra window cut into the emergency exit door, something lacking in the North East Line trains
Alstom Metropolis C751A
The Alstom Metropolis C751A are the first generation of communication-based train control rolling stock that has been in use in Singapore’s Mass Rapid Transit lines since 2003...
. In addition, due to its driverless configuration, there are windows at the front and back of the train, giving passengers a view of the tunnel as the train speeds through.
Serial number
Individual cars are given a four-digit serial numberSerial number
A serial number is a unique number assigned for identification which varies from its successor or predecessor by a fixed discrete integer value...
by the rail operator, SMRT Corporation
SMRT Corporation
SMRT Corporation is a public transport operator incorporated on March 6, 2000, as a result of an industry overhaul to form multi-modal public-transport operators in Singapore. It is the second-largest public-transport company in Singapore after ComfortDelGro...
.
- The first digit of a car's serial number is always an eight.
- The other three digits is the train identification number. A full length train of three cars will have three different consecutive serial numbers. The second and third digits are used to identify the train, while the last digit denotes the carriage of each train. In a full length train, the numbers will end with 1, 2 and 3.
A typical SMRT Circle Line train (in this case,031/033 or 031/032/033), would consist of serial numbers 8031, 8032, 8033.
Design
The trains are coloured in black and have a red stripe below it.As for the interior, the seats are pink, blue and green. The trains have a white top.
Car 8042 has extra grabpoles installed as an effort by LTA to encourage more commuters to move towards the center of the car.