French firm Alstom has won a contract to supply 17 new MRT trains, to increase the capacity of the North-East Line and Circle Line. The new trains will all be equipped with condition monitoring systems, which can track the health of on-board equipment, thus allowing operators to carry out predictive maintenance to boost reliability.

The additional capacity will support the upcoming North-East Line extension (NELe) and the sixth stage of the Circle Line (CCL6).

The deal, worth about $250 million, was signed by Alstom and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Monday (30^th April) during a ceremony held at the Sengkang Depot.

Of the 17 trains, six will be deployed to the North-East Line, increasing the fleet size from 43 to 49. With 11 new trains, the Circle Line fleet will grow from 64 to 75 trains. Circle Line trains each have three cars, while the North-East Line trains have six cars each.

The trains are manufactured and assembled in Alstom's manufacturing facility in Barcelona, Spain. The LTA said the North-East Line trains will be progressively shipped here from 2020 and the Circle Line ones, from 2021.

They will undergo testing and commissioning before they are put into service when the extensions open, the authority added. In addition to condition monitoring systems, the 11 Circle Line trains will have sensors on the current collector shoes to detect any dislodgement of the devices. The trains' collector shoes draw power from the third-rail.

Two of the new Circle Line trains will each be fitted with an Automatic Track Inspection (ATI) System, which enables monitoring of the running rails, track equipment and sleepers while the trains are in operation, the LTA also said.

"The ATI System supplements existing track inspection activities for timely and more effective identification of rail and trackside components which require maintenance," it added.

The 1.6km NELe, which opens in 2023, will extend the current 16-station line by one station, Punggol Coast. The extension will open in tandem with the first phase of developments in the Punggol Digital District, bringing rail connectivity to the area.

Meanwhile, the 4.3km three-station CCL6 will close the loop for the Circle Line, linking up the current stops of HarbourFront and Marina Bay stations. When the CCL6 stations are completed in 2025, the CCL will have a total of 33 stations, including 12 interchange stations connected to other MRT lines.