Six new trains entering service along North East Line

If your commutes take you regularly via the 'purple line', there’s reason to rejoice.

The LTA announced on 27 July 2023 that it would be adding six new trains into service along the North East Line (NEL), to be rolled out progressively with almost immediate effect from 28 July 2023. 

The size of the NEL fleet will grow to 49 trains, when all of them have entered service. Like many other trains already running along the NEL, the new trains are also manufactured by Alstom, and arrived in Singapore back in April 2021. In the interim, they have undergone comprehensive testing by the LTA, SBS Transit and Alstom.

The six new trains augment the current fleet of 43 trains running along the NEL (All image credits: LTA)

The six new trains enter service with condition monitoring systems that collect data from with from on-board equipment for pre-emptive maintenance. The goal is to enhance service reliability by taking action before faults occur.

Additionally, two of the new trains come with an unprecedented (on the NEL) Automatic Track Inspection (ATI) system, which rely on cameras and sensors on the trains’ underframes to monitor track conditions in real time.

Again, these are intended to build towards detecting track defects, and complement existing track inspections so that maintenance can be carried out in a more timely manner. The NEL first began operation in 2003, and is currently seeing 25 of its first-generation trains receive mid-life upgrades up till 2026. The upgrades include renovated interiors, new condition-monitoring capabilities, and new condition-monitoring capabilities.

Back in 2020, the LTA also announced that an extension of the NEL - on the Punggol end - would be completed by this year.