I came across a very old set of articles about the origin of
C151 that were very interesting. It has not brought up for a long,
long, long, time, and it has nothing to do with technical
specifications either, so I'd want to make it a quiz so that others
can have a guess.
In 1984, a Japanese consortium consisting of Kawasaki Heavy
Industries, Nippon Sharyo, Kinki Sharyo and Tokyu Car Corp were
awarded C151, and the rest we say is history. But back then, in a
market where rolling stock companies are begging for orders and
some facing serious finanical problems, this contract was fought
over with tooth and nail by companies around the world. The
unprecedented size of the initial MRT system meant that winning it
could fill the ricebowl of the company for many years to come, and
could use Singapore as part of their track record when bidding for
future contracts elsewhere.
There were 8 bids for the C151 contract. Later, it was
shortlisted to 3 before the winner was announced in Apr 1984.
Here's the question.
And something to think about : Imagine if either of the other
two finalists were chosen. How would our trains have become
today?