LTA to return first 2 new Bukit Panjang LRT trains to China plant for modifications

SINGAPORE – The first two new trains for the Bukit Panjang LRT (BPLRT) line are being returned to their manufacturing plant in China for modifications after undergoing rigorous testing, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA).

In response to queries from The Straits Times on April 30, LTA said these two vehicles were prototypes delivered to Singapore in 2022 after the completion of factory testing, for rigorous testing on the BPLRT network to “pre-empt issues that could arise under the local operating environment”.

These are the first two of 19 new trains for the BPLRT system that will replace the line’s first-generation vehicles that have been in service since 1999, when the BPLRT opened.

The authority’s response came two days after a post on April 28, on the Facebook page MRT Singapore Service Information, sparked speculation among social media users on the reasons behind the lifting of a new BPLRT vehicle off the tracks.

LTA said the tests using the prototypes allow for the identification of the modifications needed and for these changes to be rolled out to the other new trains at the China manufacturing plant before they are shipped out.

The new trains, from French transport giant Alstom, were manufactured in Anhui, China.

LTA said some of the modifications include wiring changes and equipment replacement for better performance and ease of maintenance.

The authority noted that the first two vehicles will return to Singapore by 2026 and that this will not affect the completion of the renewal of the BPLRT trains.

Additionally, two new trains with the necessary modifications already done had arrived in Singapore in late February, said LTA.

They are now undergoing testing and commissioning and will enter service in the third quarter of 2024, it added.

LTA will receive the remaining trains progressively over the next two years.

Separately, 13 second-generation BPLRT trains – introduced from 2014 – are also being upgraded.

To facilitate the testing of new systems and vehicles, rail services on the BPLRT will

end an hour earlier,

at 10.30pm, on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays till June 30.