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62 Korean made driverless trains to ply Jurong Region Line

An artist's impression of one of the Jurong Region Line trains. (IMAGE: Facebook / LTA)
An artist's impression of one of the Jurong Region Line trains. (IMAGE: Facebook / LTA)

SINGAPORE — The upcoming Jurong Region Line (JRL) will see 62 three-car driverless trains running along it when operations begin in 2026.

The $416.5 million contract for the building of the trains has been awarded to Hyundai Rotem Company (HRC), said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) in a news release on Thursday (6 February).

All the JRL trains will be wholly designed and manufactured in South Korea, with the first train expected to arrive in Singapore by mid-2024. “HRC may also provide long-term service support to the future JRL operator as necessary,” said the LTA.

As the JRL – Singapore’s seventh MRT line – travels through an already built-up area, each train will be made up of three smaller train cars, “so that they are more manoeuvrable along tighter curves”, the authority added.

The JRL trains will also see improved design features, such as wider train doors as well as space for wheelchair users and strollers on each car.

“Besides passenger-friendly features, the JRL trains will also be designed with ease of operations and maintenance in mind,” said LTA. These include advanced condition monitoring and diagnostic systems to detect train faults.

Some trains will also be equipped with an Automated Track Inspection system that will “allow the future JRL operator to adopt a more preventive and predictive maintenance regime, which is more efficient”, said LTA.

HRC will also tap of existing suppliers of train sub-systems – such as train doors – for other trains here, to allow for greater commonality of spares as well as more efficient and responsive maintenance support.

The deal for the JRL trains is the first time that HRC will be supplying new trains to Singapore. In 2006, company completed the mid-life refurbishment of the first-generation fleet of trains used on the North-South and East-West lines.