Kawasaki Heavy Industries C151 Cars
Encyclopedia
The Kawasaki Heavy Industries C151 trains form one of the four types of electric multiple unit
rolling stock
found on Singapore's Mass Rapid Transit
(MRT) system. These are the oldest trains on the system, which have been running since the MRT system's inception in 1987, and are still in operation today. 66 trainsets consisting of 6 cars each were purchased. These trains are operated by SMRT Corporation
, and serve the North South
and East West Lines
.
These trains were manufactured from 1986 to 1989 in three batches, headed by Kawasaki Heavy Industries
(21 trainsets), collaborating with Nippon Sharyo
, Tokyu Car Corp and Kinki Sharyo
as a Japanese consortium. No visible difference can be found in any of these batches, being built to agreed specifications. The trains underwent a two year mid-life refurbishment program, which was completed on 2 January 2009.
as the leader with Nippon Sharyo
, Tokyu Car Corp and Kinki Sharyo
was awarded Contract 151 in 1984 at a cost of S$
581.5 million for the construction of 396 passenger cars. The award was the largest single contract awarded in the initial construction of the system. The first trainset was delivered to MRT Corporation (now SMRT Corporation
) on 8 July 1986 at Bishan Depot
, officiated by Dr. Yeo Ning Hong.
The cars had an aluminium-alloy double-skinned construction, and arrived unpainted in order to save time. A red adhesive strip ran through the length of the cars at the middle, giving it a distinctive look. The decision not to paint the cars gave a shiny appearance upon delivery, but as dirt and grime started to accumulate over time it became a problem that came back to haunt the operator repeatedly with public complaints. MRT Corporation first built a machine-wash in an attempt to cleaning up the cars' exterior properly, but reverted to hand-wash when the method did not work out. A series of repainting programmes was begun in the early-2000s to repaint the exteriors of trains, which worked quite well, but refurbishment meant that the new paint did not stand the test of time. It was not until refurbishment that the problem was solved once and for all by covering up the cars' exterior literately with adhesive, giving a new livery that is similar to the C751B cars.
The interior of these trains consists mostly of plastic, with glass partitions separating the seating areas from the passenger doors and metal grab poles. Straps line the middle of every car. The colour scheme of the interior are also different. The cab cars (trailer cars at the ends of the train) have an orange colour scheme. The second and fifth motor cars sport a blue interior, while the middle two motor cars use a green colour scheme. These trains have no visual passenger information systems, but have an automatic built-in audio announcement system. There are 7 seats between 2 doors, whereby 4 has been designated as priority seats.
LCD monitors were installed in carriage number 3132 in the late 90s as part of a pilot program for TV Mobile trial runs. They have since been removed.
A four-car unit was further built by Kawasaki to serve its rounds as a money train
. It has since been de-commissioned from service and used by the Singapore Civil Defence Force
for training purposes.
On November 2006, the doors of three cars (carriage number 3006, 1006 and 2006) have each been installed with a dynamic in-train system displaying station information for testing, similar to the ones in use by Hong Kong MTR
, but they have been removed before the end of the year without entering in service.
All C151 trains had completed their refurbishment. On 3 September 2004, Mitsui
& Co, RM Transit Technology, Lexbuild and Rotem
Company received an order to refurbish all 396 carriages costing S$142.7 million. The renewal works include the refurbishment of seats and other interior fixtures, allocation of space for wheelchair personnel, the upgrading of onboard telecommunications equipment, public announcement system, and the improvement of the internal appearance of the cars.
The exterior of refurbished trains resemble that of C751B cars very closely. The interior fittings were ripped out totally, replaced with white walls and new seats (the seat colours for the driving trailer were changed from orange to red) that were pushed back to allow more standing space. The end of each row of seats has two darker colored seats, which are the priority seats. Seats of the new cars were increased in length from 43 cm to 48 cm, having four seats from each seven seats to have a dark version of the corresponding colour of each car and the rest of the seats in every seven seats with a lighter one. The number of seats per row now 7 down from previously 9, was a decision which found unpopularity among commuters due to less seating capacity. Extra standing area has also been provided to increase the capacity of the refurbished cars.
Ten trainsets also have the center portion of the seats in each car removed and were replaced with metal bars to serve as extra standing space.
The engine components have been retained, having performed better than expected. The wheelchair space is available only on the end of two middle cars nearest to the lifts in above ground stations. LED displays that blink when doors are closing were introduced except that it is positioned in the upper middle section of the door. More speakers and advertisement panels were also introduced. Hand grips were moved to the support bars of the seats on the ceiling and grabpoles are now located near the doors and at both ends of each carriage. The air-conditioning system has been changed to match the system used similarly by the C751B cars, with air-conditioning vents and 'in-flow' fans installed. The run number displays of refurbished trains remain unchanged.
SMRT Corporation has also cited reasons of wear and tear of important components over the past two decades of service and water leaks from the air-conditioning system of some trains. The company chose this option in favour over new rolling stock, which would have cost S$792 million. On 5 November 2006, the first refurbished train, set 005/006, was put back on service. The last trainset to be refurbished, set 075/076, had done its refurbishment and put back on service on 2 January 2009.
(ATC), supplemented with Automatic train operation
(ATO). At a fallback level, Automatic Train Protection
(ATP) is available.
The car numbers of the trains range from x001 to x132, where x depends on the carriage type. Individual cars are assigned a 4 digit serial number by the rail operator SMRT.
Electric multiple unit
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...
rolling stock
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...
found on Singapore'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) system. These are the oldest trains on the system, which have been running since the MRT system's inception in 1987, and are still in operation today. 66 trainsets consisting of 6 cars each were purchased. These trains are operated by 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...
, and serve the North South
North South MRT Line
The North South Line was the 1st Mass Rapid Transit line in Singapore. The line is currently 44 km long with 25 stations, and is operated by SMRT Corporation...
and East West Lines
East West MRT Line
The East West Line was the 2nd Mass Rapid Transit line in Singapore. The line is currently 49.2 km long with 35 stations , making it the longest MRT line in Singapore. It takes about 63 minutes to travel from one end to the other...
.
These trains were manufactured from 1986 to 1989 in three batches, headed by Kawasaki Heavy Industries
Kawasaki Heavy Industries Rolling Stock Company
is the rolling stock production division of Kawasaki Heavy Industries. Since beginning operations in 1906, the company has produced more than 90,000 railroad vehicles.- Products :...
(21 trainsets), collaborating with Nippon Sharyo
Nippon Sharyo
, , formed in 1896, is a major rolling stock manufacturer based in Nagoya, Japan. In 1996, it abbreviated its name to "日本車両" Nippon Sharyō. Its shortest abbreviation is Nissha "日車". It was a listed company on Nikkei 225 until 2004. It is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and Nagoya Stock Exchange...
, Tokyu Car Corp and Kinki Sharyo
Kinki Sharyo
is an Osaka, Japan-based manufacturer of railroad vehicles. It is an affiliate company of Kintetsu Corporation.In business since 1920 and renamed The Kinki Sharyo Co., Ltd in 1945...
as a Japanese consortium. No visible difference can be found in any of these batches, being built to agreed specifications. The trains underwent a two year mid-life refurbishment program, which was completed on 2 January 2009.
Initial design and construction
Following a round of competitive bidding by companies around the world, a Japanese consortium consisting of Kawasaki Heavy IndustriesKawasaki Heavy Industries
is an international corporation based in Japan. It has headquarters in both Chūō-ku, Kobe and Minato, Tokyo.The company is named after its founder Shōzō Kawasaki and has no connection with the city of Kawasaki, Kanagawa....
as the leader with Nippon Sharyo
Nippon Sharyo
, , formed in 1896, is a major rolling stock manufacturer based in Nagoya, Japan. In 1996, it abbreviated its name to "日本車両" Nippon Sharyō. Its shortest abbreviation is Nissha "日車". It was a listed company on Nikkei 225 until 2004. It is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange and Nagoya Stock Exchange...
, Tokyu Car Corp and Kinki Sharyo
Kinki Sharyo
is an Osaka, Japan-based manufacturer of railroad vehicles. It is an affiliate company of Kintetsu Corporation.In business since 1920 and renamed The Kinki Sharyo Co., Ltd in 1945...
was awarded Contract 151 in 1984 at a cost of S$
Singapore dollar
The Singapore dollar or Dollar is the official currency of Singapore. It is normally abbreviated with the dollar sign $, or alternatively S$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies...
581.5 million for the construction of 396 passenger cars. The award was the largest single contract awarded in the initial construction of the system. The first trainset was delivered to MRT Corporation (now 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...
) on 8 July 1986 at Bishan Depot
Bishan Depot
Bishan Depot is a depot located on the Mass Rapid Transit in Bishan, Singapore.It comprises a storage yard with a capacity of 53 trains and has an area of 300,000 m². The depot also houses a central maintenance with train overhaul facilities for trains on the North South Line and East West Line...
, officiated by Dr. Yeo Ning Hong.
The cars had an aluminium-alloy double-skinned construction, and arrived unpainted in order to save time. A red adhesive strip ran through the length of the cars at the middle, giving it a distinctive look. The decision not to paint the cars gave a shiny appearance upon delivery, but as dirt and grime started to accumulate over time it became a problem that came back to haunt the operator repeatedly with public complaints. MRT Corporation first built a machine-wash in an attempt to cleaning up the cars' exterior properly, but reverted to hand-wash when the method did not work out. A series of repainting programmes was begun in the early-2000s to repaint the exteriors of trains, which worked quite well, but refurbishment meant that the new paint did not stand the test of time. It was not until refurbishment that the problem was solved once and for all by covering up the cars' exterior literately with adhesive, giving a new livery that is similar to the C751B cars.
The interior of these trains consists mostly of plastic, with glass partitions separating the seating areas from the passenger doors and metal grab poles. Straps line the middle of every car. The colour scheme of the interior are also different. The cab cars (trailer cars at the ends of the train) have an orange colour scheme. The second and fifth motor cars sport a blue interior, while the middle two motor cars use a green colour scheme. These trains have no visual passenger information systems, but have an automatic built-in audio announcement system. There are 7 seats between 2 doors, whereby 4 has been designated as priority seats.
Vandalism
In the wee hours of 17 May 2010, 047/048 had been vandalised by a Swiss national, Oliver Fricker and his accomplice,Alexander Llyod, a British national, whom had broken into Changi Depot (CHD) by cutting a hole through the fence surrounding CHD. A large area of one side of carriage 1048 had been sprayed with paint. On 18 May 2010, 047/048 was discovered with the graffiti on the EWL and a few days later, the case was handed over to the police. SMRT has since removed the graffiti covering the SMRT livery then.Experimental programmes
Trainsets 001/002 and 003/004 were built with interiors installed with frames over priority seats for purposes of placing signage, which remained all the way up to the point of refurbishment.LCD monitors were installed in carriage number 3132 in the late 90s as part of a pilot program for TV Mobile trial runs. They have since been removed.
A four-car unit was further built by Kawasaki to serve its rounds as a money train
Money train
A money train is one or more railcars used to collect fare collection revenue from stations on a subway system and return it to a central location for processing. This train is typically used to carry money bags guarded by transit police to deter robberies....
. It has since been de-commissioned from service and used by the Singapore Civil Defence Force
Singapore Civil Defence Force
The Singapore Civil Defence Force is the main agency in charge of the provision of emergency services in Singapore during peacetime and emergency.A uniformed organisation under the purview of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the main role of SCDF is to provide...
for training purposes.
On November 2006, the doors of three cars (carriage number 3006, 1006 and 2006) have each been installed with a dynamic in-train system displaying station information for testing, similar to the ones in use by Hong Kong MTR
MTR
Mass Transit Railway is the rapid transit railway system in Hong Kong. Originally opened in 1979, the system now includes 211.6 km of rail with 155 stations, including 86 railway stations and 69 light rail stops...
, but they have been removed before the end of the year without entering in service.
Refurbishment
Mitsui
is one of the largest corporate conglomerates in Japan and one of the largest publicly traded companies in the world.-History:Founded by Mitsui Takatoshi , who was the fourth son of a shopkeeper in Matsusaka, in what is now today's Mie prefecture...
& Co, RM Transit Technology, Lexbuild and Rotem
Rotem
Hyundai Rotem is a South Korean company manufacturing rolling stock, defense products and plant equipment. It is part of the Hyundai Motor Group...
Company received an order to refurbish all 396 carriages costing S$142.7 million. The renewal works include the refurbishment of seats and other interior fixtures, allocation of space for wheelchair personnel, the upgrading of onboard telecommunications equipment, public announcement system, and the improvement of the internal appearance of the cars.
The exterior of refurbished trains resemble that of C751B cars very closely. The interior fittings were ripped out totally, replaced with white walls and new seats (the seat colours for the driving trailer were changed from orange to red) that were pushed back to allow more standing space. The end of each row of seats has two darker colored seats, which are the priority seats. Seats of the new cars were increased in length from 43 cm to 48 cm, having four seats from each seven seats to have a dark version of the corresponding colour of each car and the rest of the seats in every seven seats with a lighter one. The number of seats per row now 7 down from previously 9, was a decision which found unpopularity among commuters due to less seating capacity. Extra standing area has also been provided to increase the capacity of the refurbished cars.
Ten trainsets also have the center portion of the seats in each car removed and were replaced with metal bars to serve as extra standing space.
The engine components have been retained, having performed better than expected. The wheelchair space is available only on the end of two middle cars nearest to the lifts in above ground stations. LED displays that blink when doors are closing were introduced except that it is positioned in the upper middle section of the door. More speakers and advertisement panels were also introduced. Hand grips were moved to the support bars of the seats on the ceiling and grabpoles are now located near the doors and at both ends of each carriage. The air-conditioning system has been changed to match the system used similarly by the C751B cars, with air-conditioning vents and 'in-flow' fans installed. The run number displays of refurbished trains remain unchanged.
SMRT Corporation has also cited reasons of wear and tear of important components over the past two decades of service and water leaks from the air-conditioning system of some trains. The company chose this option in favour over new rolling stock, which would have cost S$792 million. On 5 November 2006, the first refurbished train, set 005/006, was put back on service. The last trainset to be refurbished, set 075/076, had done its refurbishment and put back on service on 2 January 2009.
Safety systems
Kawasaki Heavy Industries C151 cars are equipped with Automatic Train ControlAutomatic Train Control
Automatic Train Control is a train protection system for railways, ensuring the safe and smooth operation of trains on ATC-enabled lines. Its main advantages include making possible the use of cab signalling instead of track-side signals and the use of smooth deceleration patterns in lieu of the...
(ATC), supplemented with Automatic train operation
Automatic train operation
Automatic train operation ensures partial or complete automatic train piloting and driverless functions.Most systems elect to maintain a driver to mitigate risks associated with failures or emergencies....
(ATO). At a fallback level, Automatic Train Protection
Automatic Train Protection
Automatic Train Protection in Great Britain refers to either of two implementations of a train protection system installed in some trains in order to help prevent collisions through a driver's failure to observe a signal or speed restriction...
(ATP) is available.
Serial number
- The first digit depends upon whether the car is the first, second or third car from either end of the train, where the first car equals 3, the second equals 1 and the third equals 2.
- The other 3 digits is the train identification number. A full length train of 6 cars have 2 different identification number, one for the first 3 cars, and the same number plus 1, for the other three. The smaller number is always an odd number. For example, train 033/034 would consist of 6 cars with serial number 3033, 1033, 2033, 2034, 1034, 3034 respectively. A full car of 6 trains can also be split into 2 3-car sets each. In the above situation, set 033, comprising cars 3033, 1033 and 2033, and set 034, comprising 3034, 1034 and 2034, combine together to form 033/034.
- Kawasaki Heavy Industries built sets 001 - 020, 051 - 062, and 093 - 102.(21 trainsets)
- Kinki Sharyo co-built sets 021 - 030, 063 - 072, and 103 - 112.(15 trainsets)
- Nippon Sharyo co-built sets 031 - 040, 073 - 082, and 113 - 122.(15 trainsets)
- Tokyu Car Corp co-built sets 041 - 050, 083 - 092, and 123 - 132.(15 trainsets)