THE Land Transport Authority (LTA) has awarded a $386 million contract to a consortium led by Japanese train manufacturer Kawasaki Heavy Industries to install 22 new six-car MRT trains for the North-South/East-West Lines (NSEWL).

Kawasaki and CSR Qingdao Sifang Locomotive and Rolling Stock will have to design, supply, install, test and commission the new trains, which are scheduled to be progressively delivered from 2011 to 2012, said LTA in a statement on Wednesday.

The addition of the 22 trains will complement a modification project being done at the Jurong East station.

The LTA announced last July that it will carry out the modification project to overcome the infrastructural constraint by creating an additional train track and platform at Jurong East Station to improve train turnaround time.

The modification will cut the waiting time for trains along the NSEWL and give commuters a more comfortable ride during peak periods.

The Jurong East project and 22 additional trains will increase the capacity of the NSEW lines by about 15 per cent and enable the lines to meet projected demand till 2020.

Kawasaki Heavy Industries has a long involvement with the Singapore MRT system, having supplied 87 trains out of a total of 106 trains for the NSEWL since 1984.

CSR (China Southern Railway) Qingdao Sifang is one of the state-designated manufacturers of rolling stock in China and has cooperated with Kawasaki for over 20 years in trains manufacturing.