Kawasaki Heavy Industries & CRRC Qingdao Sifang C151C

Kawasaki Heavy Industries & CRRC Qingdao Sifang (KSF) C151C
C151C train approaching Bukit Batok station
Interior of a C151C train
Stock typeElectric multiple unit
In service30 September 2018; 6 years ago (2018-09-30) – present
Manufacturer
Built atQingdao, Shandong, China
Constructed2017 – 2018
Entered service30 September 2018; 6 years ago (2018-09-30)
Number built72 vehicles (12 sets)
Number in service66 vehicles (11 sets)
Formation6 per trainset
DT–M1–M2+M2–M1–DT
Fleet numbers701/702 – 723/724
Capacity1920 passengers
OperatorsSMRT Trains Ltd (SMRT Corporation)
Depots
Lines served
Specifications
Car body constructionAluminium-alloy double-skinned construction
Train length138.86 m (455 ft 6+7⁄8 in)
Car length
  • 23.83 m (78 ft 2 in) (DT)
  • 22.8 m (74 ft 10 in) (M)
Width3.2 m (10 ft 6 in)
Height3.7 m (12 ft 1+5⁄8 in)
Doors1,450 mm (57+1⁄8 in), 8 per car, 4 per side
Maximum speed
  • 90 km/h (56 mph) (design)
  • 80 km/h (50 mph) (service)
Traction systemFuji Electric IGBT–VVVF (output 415 kVA)
Traction motors16 × Fuji Electric MLR120 150 kW (201 hp) self-ventilated 3-phase AC induction motor
550V 204A 1765 r/min
Power output2.24 MW (3,004 hp)
Acceleration1 m/s2 (3.3 ft/s2)
Deceleration
  • 1.2 m/s2 (3.9 ft/s2) (service)
  • 1.3 m/s2 (4.3 ft/s2) (emergency)
AuxiliariesFuji Electric auxiliary inverter with battery charger
80 kVA + 16 kW
Electric system(s)750 V DC third rail
Current collector(s)Collector shoe
UIC classification2′2′+Bo′Bo′+Bo′Bo′+Bo′Bo′+Bo′Bo′+2′2′
Safety system(s)Thales SelTrac® moving block CBTC ATC under ATO GoA 3 (DTO), with subsystems of ATP, NetTrac ATS and CBI[1][2]
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge

The Kawasaki Heavy Industries & CRRC Qingdao Sifang C151C is the sixth generation electric multiple unit rolling stock in operation on the existing North–South (NSL) and East–West (EWL) lines of Singapore's Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system, manufactured by a consortium of Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) and CRRC Qingdao Sifang under Contract 151C.[3]

Twelve trains were purchased. They were delivered between 2017 and 2019, and were tested before the full service in 2019.[4] The first was delivered on 27 October 2017. The interior design was unveiled on 28 February 2018 at Tuas Depot with two trains showcased. This brought the total number of trains operating on the NSEWL to 198 trainsets, up from the previous 186. The addition tripled the number of trains on the North–South and East–West Lines when they were first opened.

The first three C151C trainsets commenced revenue service on 30 September 2018 on the North–South Line.[5]

  • Builder's plate of a C151C train
    Builder's plate of a C151C train

Tender

The tender for these trains under the contract 151C was closed on 14 May 2015 with three bids. The LTA has shortlisted all of them and the tender results were published on 22 September that year. Kawasaki has won the contract, similar to C151A and C151B.[6][7]

S/N Name of tenderer Amount ($S)[7]
1 CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive Co., Ltd. 134,608,695.70
2 Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. / Kawasaki Heavy Industries (Singapore) Pte Ltd & CRRC Qingdao Sifang Consortium 136,800,000.00 (alternative)
3 Hyundai Rotem 136,799,928.00

Design

The C151C was the first and only MRT rolling stock to be fitted with tip-up seats until April 2021 when the second batch of the T251 trains entered service in tandem with the opening of the Thomson–East Coast Line Stage 2.[8][9]

The C151C retains the design and specifications from the earlier C151B trains but spots LTA's new corporate livery already introduced on the C951(A) trains, incorporating green and red stripes against the black and white background.

The C151C is the second train type to be equipped with STARIS 2.0, which consists of two LCD screens displaying travel information and advertisements. Travel information includes upcoming stations and door closing warnings.

Equipment

Main propulsion controller

The C151C trains are the fifth commuter type Electric Multiple Unit (EMU) to feature electric systems fully manufactured by Fuji Electric. Propulsion is controlled by VVVF inverter with two-level IGBT semiconductor controller, rated at 415 kV. Each inverter unit controls two motors on one bogie (1C2M), and one motor car features two such units. Motors are three-phase AC induction type, model MLR120, with a maximum output of 150 kW (201 hp).

Train formation

The coupling configuration of a C151C in revenue service is DT–M1–M2+M2–M1–DT.

Cars of C151C
Car type Driver cab Motor Collector shoe Car length Wheelchair bay
m ft in
DT ✓ ✗ ✓ 23.83 78 ft 2.2 in ✗
M1 ✗ ✓ ✓ 22.8 74 ft 9.6 in ✗
M2 ✗ ✓ ✓ 22.8 74 ft 9.6 in ✓

The car numbers of the trains range from x701 to x724, where x depends on the carriage type. Individual cars are assigned a four-digit serial number. A complete six-car trainset consists of an identical twin set of one driving trailer (DT) and two motor (M) cars permanently coupled together. For example, set 705/706 consists of carriages 3705, 1705, 2705, 2706, 1706, and 3706.

  • The first digit identifies the car number, where the first car has a 3, the second has a 1, and the third has a 2.
  • The second digit is always a 7.
  • The third digit and fourth digit are the train identification numbers. A full-length train of six cars has two different identification numbers. For example, 705/706 (normal coupling) or 705/720 (cross-coupling).

Doubts about the consortium

Main article: Kawasaki Heavy Industries & CSR Qingdao Sifang C151A § Operational problems

The award of the C151C turnkey contract to the Kawasaki Heavy Industries & CSR Qingdao Sifang consortium was briefly politicised in Singapore, when the defects from the relatively new C151A trains constructed by the same consortium were made public on 5 July 2016. This was after Gerald Giam from the Workers Party, commenting through an official Facebook post, doubted the decision by the Land Transport Authority to award the subsequent contracts, specifically both the design and supply of C151C and T251 rail cars to the same consortium in 2015.[10] This was despite the Land Transport Authority and operator SMRT Trains officially acknowledging the C151A crack defects as early as 2013.[11][12]

References

  1. ^ "THALES Urban Rail Signalling Singapore – North-South / East-West Lines" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 June 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  2. ^ Fang, Joy (2 February 2012). "Coming: $600m upgrade for MRT system/New train measures a 'catch-up'". My Paper. pp. A2, A6. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  3. ^ "LTA Singapore Orders 12 MRT Trains (72 cars) for North-South/East-West Lines | Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd". 29 April 2016. Archived from the original on 29 April 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. ^ "'Tip-up' seats on new MRT trains to allow for more passenger standing room | the Straits Times". 28 February 2018. Archived from the original on 27 August 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  5. ^ "New MRT trains with tip-up seats now in service". The Straits Times. 30 September 2018. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  6. ^ TENDER INFORMATION Archived 10 May 2017 at the Wayback Machine - Land Transport Authority, 22 Sep 2015
  7. ^ a b CONTRACT 151C Archived 10 May 2017 at the Wayback Machine - Land Transport Authority
  8. ^ "12 More Trains to Boost Capacity of North-South and East-West Lines". Land Transport Authority. 22 September 2015. Archived from the original on 13 February 2020.
  9. ^ Tan, Christopher (14 August 2018). "SMRT adding 12 trains to two most heavily used lines". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 8 April 2020. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  10. ^ So the vendor's dismal track record can become a point in their favour? Archived 8 February 2023 at the Wayback Machine - Gerald Giam Facebook page, 8 July 2016 9:35am (GMT+8)
  11. ^ "Defects on SMRT trains 'not safety-critical', to be repaired by manufacturer: LTA". Archived from the original on 26 January 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2016.
  12. ^ "26 China-made MRT trains sent back to fix defects". The Straits Times. 5 July 2016. Archived from the original on 12 March 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2016.