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SMRT Trains Limited
Public
Industry Public Transport Operator
Founded Singapore (1987 (1987)) (as Mass Rapid Transit Corporation)
Headquarters
2 Tanjong Katong Road, #08-01, Paya Lebar Quarter (PLQ 3), Singapore 437161
Area served
Singapore
Key people
  • Seah Moon Ming (Chairman)
  • Lee Fook Sun (Deputy Chairman, Trains)
  • Ngien Hoon Ping (Group CEO)
  • Lam Sheau Kai (President, Rail)
Services Railways
Parent SMRT Corporation

SMRT Trains Limited is a rail operator in Singapore and a wholly owned subsidiary of SMRT Corporation. After the privatisation of the MRT operations in 1995, it was originally named Singapore MRT Limited. On 31 December 2001, it was renamed SMRT Trains Limited, so as not to confuse with another MRT line - North East MRT Line that is under Singapore Bus Services and the bus operations merged from Trans-Island Bus Services. At the same time, Singapore Bus Services was renamed SBS Transit to be multi-modal. SMRT Trains currently manages most of the MRT services in Singapore except the North East Line and Downtown Line.

History

SMRT Trains Limited was incorporated as the rail subsidiary arm of the parent company SMRT Corporation, to oversee rail operations brought over from the previously state-owned Mass Rapid Transit Corporation (MRTC).

Mass Rapid Transit Corporation (MRTC)

The Singapore MRT Limited was incorporated on 6 August 1987, and signed the licence and operating agreement (LOA) with MRTC, a government-run corporation till 1997. On 7 November 1987, MRTC started services on Singapore's first MRT section, consisting of five stations from Yio Chu Kang to Toa Payoh. When the MRTC merged to form LTA on 1 Sep 1995, operations of the MRTC were hived off into SMRT Corporation. On 1998, the light rail operation was formed and was called Singapore LRT Limited. On 31 December 2001, both Singapore MRT Limited and Singapore LRT Limited were merged into the present name, SMRT Trains.

Transition to New Rail Financing Framework (NRFF)

On 15 July 2016, SMRT Trains and its subsidiary SMRT Light Rail concluded discussions on the transition of the North-South and East-West Lines (NSEWL), the Circle Line (CCL) and the Bukit Panjang LRT (BPLRT) to the New Rail Financing Framework (NRFF). The framework, announced by the Government in 2008 under the Land Transport Master-plan, was introduced as an enhancement to the 1996 Rail Financing Framework, and was first implemented for the Downtown Line (DTL) in 2011. SMRT transited to a 15-year contract under the new framework from 1 October 2016, with the transfer of ownership of all its rail assets at a net value of $1.06 billion to the government.

Mass Rapid Transit

SMRT Trains currently operates a fleet consisting of seven rolling stocks built on its two heavy rail lines (the North South Line and the East West Line) – namely C151, C651, C751B, C151A, C151B, C151C and R151, identified by the relevant build contracts. In addition, it operates the C830 and C830C rolling stocks, which operates on the Circle Line. SMRT Trains is also licensed to operate the T251 rolling stocks, which operates on the Thomson-East Coast Line. SMRT Light Rail operates the C801 and the C801A rolling stocks on the Bukit Panjang LRT Line. The C851E will be added to SMRT's fleet in tandem with the opening of the CCL6 line.

The main colour scheme for all trains are black with a red stripe. C651 is the only train model with an exterior livery of white and red stripes. C801 is the only train model with an exterior livery of blue and red stripes. C151B and C801A are the only train models with an exterior livery of the new SMRT pixelated livery, which consist of white, red, black and yellow stripes and pixel livery. C151C and R151 will bear the new LTA livery, which is black with green and red stripes. T251 will also bear the new LTA livery, which is black with brown and yellow stripes.

Fleet

Name Image Maximum Speed (km/h) Trains built Cars built Cars per set Lines served Built Number In Service Introduction into service Withdrawn from service
Design Service
C151 SMRT C151.jpg 90 80 66 396 6 North–South Line
East–West Line
1986 – 1989
2006 – 2008
53 7 November 1987 22 June 2020 –
C651 Siemens C651.jpg 19 114 1993 – 1994
2016 – 2018 (cancelled)
5 2 May 1995 6 September 2020 –
C751B Kawasaki c751 eunos.jpg 21 126 1999 – 2001 6 8 May 2000 14 March 2021 –
C151A KHI & CSR Qingdao C151A 20201020 181024.jpg 35 210 2011 – 2014 35 27 May 2011 N/A
C151B C151B train at Boon Lay MRT station 040622.jpg 45 270 2015 – 2017 45 16 April 2017
C151C C151C train approaching Bukit Batok station 260622.jpg 12 72 2017 – 2018 12 30 September 2018
R151 R151 train at Tuas Depot.jpg 106 636 2020 onwards At least 18 trains in operation 4 June 2023
C830 2 C830 in KCD.JPG 78 40 120 3 Circle Line 2006 – 2008 40 28 May 2009
C830C C830C-Interior.JPG 24 72 2014 – 2015 24 26 June 2015
C851E N/A 23 69 2019 onwards 0 From 2026 onwards
T251 CT251 train arriving at Woodlands MRT station 160521.jpg 100 90 91 364 4 Thomson–East Coast Line 2015 – 2020 91 31 January 2020
  • The trains are classified as contracts unlike other countries which uses "class".

Light Rail Transit

SMRT Light Rail operates only one LRT line. The Bukit Panjang LRT Line provides feeder connections at Bukit Panjang and Choa Chu Kang towns to the Downtown line at Bukit Panjang and North South line and the upcoming Jurong Region line at Choa Chu Kang.

Fleet

Name Image Maximum Speed (km/h) Trains built Cars per set Lines served Built Numbers In Service Introduction into service Withdrawn from service
Design Service
C801 Bombardier CX-100 exterior.JPG 55 48 19 1 Bukit Panjang LRT 1997 – 1999 18 6 November 1999 26 November 2023 –
C801A BPLRT C801A leaving Teck Whye.jpg 13 2014 – 2015 13 19 November 2014 N/A
C801B N/A 19 2019 – 2022 0 From Q3 2024 onwards
  • The trains are classified as contracts unlike other countries which uses "class".

Notable incidents

  • Before the start of service, a maintenance vehicle spilt oil on the tracks between Clementi and Jurong East. The first ten eastbound trains reported braking problems. Then, at 7.50 am on 5 August 1993, the eleventh east-bound train from Jurong stopped at the Clementi Station for two minutes longer than scheduled due to it using its emergency brakes to stop at the station, and was then hit by the twelfth east bound train when it failed to stop in time. 156 passengers were injured by the collision.
  • Pasir Ris rail accident: On 22 March 2016, 2 SMRT staff were killed when a train hit them near Pasir Ris station along the EWL. Following an audit and investigation, the Ministry of Manpower reported that SMRT had failed to follow safety procedures to ensure worker safety for the past 14 years. Former assistant engineer Lim Say Heng pleaded guilty to one charge of causing the deaths of the trainees by failing to observe critical safety protocol and was sentenced to four weeks jail.
  • Joo Koon rail accident: On 15 November 2017, two C151A trains collided at Joo Koon, injuring 28 people, making the second incident after 24 years on 5 August 1993 when two C151 trains collided at Clementi.
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