The 36-year-old North-South and East-West lines are the most heavily used rail lines on the MRT network. The two lines have been undergoing six major upgrades since 2012 and these will be completed by December 2023.
1. Replacement of 188,000 sleepers – Completed in 2016
The two lines are made up of 200km of tracks. Work to replace the 188,000 timber sleepers with concrete ones started in 2013 and took three years to complete. The concrete sleepers, which distribute the load of the train on the tracks, are more durable and help give passengers a smoother ride.
2. New power rail – Completed in 2017
The third rail, or power rail, provides the electricity to run the trains. Work to replace the 180km system on the two lines started in 2015 and finished in 2017. Faults in the third rail caused two massive disruptions on the North-South Line in 2011. The breakdowns, which affected more than 200,000 passengers, were so severe that they resulted in a Committee of Inquiry being set up to probe the cause.
3. More efficient signalling system – Completed in 2018
The upgraded signalling system allows trains to run at shorter intervals of 100 seconds, down from 120 seconds. Replacement of the system started in 2012 and was completed in 2018. The new system allows peak-hour capacity to be increased by as much as 20 per cent.
4. New trains – Purchased in 2018 and 2020
The oldest trains date back to 1987, when the two lines started. A total of 106 new trains have been bought – 66 in 2018 and 40 in 2020 – to replace the three older generations of trains on the two lines. Seven new trains are in service now and 19 are being tested and readied for deployment. The new trains have the ability to self-check and detect faults early in on-board systems, such as those for air-conditioning and passenger information. All 106 trains are expected to be delivered by 2026.
5. Renewal of power supply system – Completed in 2023
About 1,300km of power cables, 250km of fibre-optic cables, 206 power transformers, 172 switchboards and equipment in 171 substations have been renewed since 2018. The new power supply system allows real-time monitoring, which improves the operator’s ability to detect faults and predict issues before they occur or worsen.
6. Fresh track circuit system – To be completed in 2023
More than 1,100 track circuits, which identify the locations of the trains on the network, have been replaced on the two lines. In the event of a signalling failure, the new system is able to locate the trains more quickly to speed up recovery. It also has a built-in monitoring system to detect possible track circuit failures before they happen.
