France is one of the world leaders in public transport, having
done everything from building better trains to taking bold steps to
reduce congestion and pollution. Maria Almenoar visits the workshop
making trains for Singapore's Circle Line and checks out other
systems which may make their way here.
The last train car for the Circle Line is on its way from
France, where it was built. During peak hours, Circle Line trains
will run every 90 seconds against the two minutes taken on the
North-South and East-West lines. -- ST PHOTO: MARIA ALMENOAR
COMMUTERS on the Circle Line should find it a shorter wait for
trains with the newest signalling system from Alstom, the French
transport company which is also building the trains for the new
SMRT line.
During peak hours, trains will be able to run every 90 seconds,
against the current two minutes on the North-South and East-West
lines. The shorter intervals will make the system's waiting times
comparable to those in cities such as Hong Kong.
The Singapore authorities had asked for the latest signalling
system from Alstom, which also supplied trains for the North-East
Line and is hoping to win a contract to build the tracks for the
upcoming Downtown Line.
Commuters have long complained about delays between trains, but
the SMRT has maintained that the system's old signalling does not
allow for headways - the time between trains - of under two
minutes.
Commuters on the 33.3km-long Circle Line, which will span 29
stations, can also look forward to the next generation of
driverless trains, which are better than those running on the
North-East Line.
The new trains come to a halt more smoothly and the carriage
doors open 21/2 seconds after the train comes to a stop, compared
with the four seconds taken on the North-East Line.
'This will help speed things along and get people on and off
trains faster,' said Alstom's managing director for
Asia-Australasia, Mr Michel Obadia.
The last train car is now en route from its birthplace in
Valenciennes in France, a three-hour drive from Paris, to its new
home at Kim Chuan Depot here.
Seven trains of three cars each will be called into service when
the first five stations open on the Circle Line in June next year.
Residents in the north-eastern areas of Marymount, Bishan, Lorong
Chuan, Serangoon and Bartley will be the first to use them.
Said Miss Cindy Lim, 25, an account executive who lives in
Lorong Chuan: 'If the trains come faster, hopefully, there won't be
a crowd waiting for the train during the morning peak hour.'
Altogether, 40 trains, each with a capacity of 1,200 passengers,
will ply the line.
It is understood that the Land Transport Authority is also
looking to upgrade the signalling system on the other lines.
Alstom carried out a similar upgrade on Beijing's Metro Line 2
just before the Olympic Games in August.
The 23-month refurbishment brought train frequency down by 30
seconds from the usual three-minute interval during peak hours.
The total cost of the upgrading was ¥25 million (S$51
million).
'We are now working on bringing down the headways even further,
maybe 60 seconds for future signalling systems,' said Mr
Obadia.