Japanese train maker Kawasaki Heavy Industries won a S$136.8 million tender to supply 12 six-car trains for Singapore’s North-South and East-West lines today (Sep 22). According to Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA), the 12 trains will be ready in early 2018, with new features like tip-up seats that can make space to take in more standing passengers during peak hours.
Photo of SMRT Kawasaki train from Wikipedia
Kawasaki Heavy Industries is the first train supplier for Singapore in 1987 and it’s trains have only broken down some 24 years later in 2011 when Singapore’s population increased to 5 million. Private transport operator SMRT and the government LTA pushed blame to each other when the railway tracks were spoiled due to negligence and compromise of the maintenance budget in the few years before 2011.
Unlike the Circle Line trains which are built in China and made by China companies, the new trains will be made in Japan. Kawasaki Heavy Industries is famed for its Japanese bullet train technology on Shinkansen which made world news hitting 443 km/h.