Today, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced that the first Cross Island Line (CRL) trainset under contract CR151 had reached Singapore's shores. Upon arrival, the train will be transported to the Singapore Rail Test Centre (SRTC) in Tuas for testing & integration works. Similar tests were conducted there for the Circle Line (CCL)'s new batch of third generation trains under contract 851E. Did you manage to catch some of the details from the video that LTA put up? Here's what SGMC has uncovered after a closer look (after the jump).
Set 2 is the train that has reached our shores
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| Screen cap of LTA's video. At the bottom image, you can see the train car number displayed as 50025. |
Based on LTA's video, it appears that the set sent over from Qingdao is set #2. How do we know? Well, in LTA's video, one of the cars lifted out and placed on a trailer bears the number 50025. We have previously seen that the lead car was numbered 50021 when Acting Minister for Transport posted about his visit to the manufacturer's factory in April.
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| Source: Jeffrey Siow (Acting Minister for Transport) In a photo posted in April, the lead car was numbered 50021. |
This likely means that, unlike the current numbering system used for 6-car trains on the North-South (NSL), East-West (EWL) and North East Lines (NEL), each 6-car CRL train will denote each set with its own unique number. Currently, the existing lines with 6-car trains use a numbering system that identifies the two halves of the train as separate sets. For instance, train 1 would consist of 3 cars bearing unit 1 and the other 3 cars bearing unit 2. Units 1 and 2 are combined to form a 6-car consist that is identified by a single train number.
Based on the numbering sequence for the CRL, it appears that this system is not following through. Instead, it is likely that the fourth digit of the car number represents the set number and the fifth digit represents the individual car number. Thus, 50021 means CRL train set 2, car number 1. Similarly, 50025 would meant CRL train set 2, car number 5.
Swanky lights and overhead handle bar designs
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| Screen cap of LTA's video. Did you notice the interesting design of the overhead handle bar near the door? |
Have you travelled on Bangkok's BTS before? If you have, you might have seen the unique designs of the overhead handle bars on the first generation trains. Those feature a ring-type design near the doorways and a convex design near the seats between doors. The CRL train appears to feature some similar designs for the overhead handle bars near the doors, with a rectangle shape potentially allowing more passengers to grab onto the bar? This design feature was not present during the augmented reality mock up display, when LTA had sought for feedback on the train's design. Neither did renders of the train have this design feature.
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| Source: LTA Render of the CR151 train interior with light blue seat option. The rectangular design of the overhead handle bar was not present. |
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| Source: LTA Render of the CR151 train interior with orange seat option. The rectangular design of the overhead handle bar was not present. |
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| Source: LTA Render of the CR151 train interior with green seat option. The rectangular design of the overhead handle bar was not present. |
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| Source: LTA Render of the CR151 train interior with dark blue seat option. The rectangular design of the overhead handle bar was not present. |
The rounded light above the triplicated pole is a design that was prominently featured and we know was confirmed, as seen in the minister's post last April. We also noted that the hand grips ended up using the line colour instead of matching with the seat colour as has been seen on other rolling stock such as the contract 851E, 751C, 830C or R151 trains on other lines.
At least 3 sets have been constructed
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| Screen cap of LTA's video. This car is numbered 50031. |
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| Screen cap of LTA's video. The cars in the middle image are numbered 50013 & 50014. |
Based on our understanding of how the car numbering system works, it would appear that at least 3 sets have been constructed, although only 1 has been shipped to Singapore.
Green colour for seats & lighting near gangway design options chosen
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| Screen cap of LTA's video. In the bottom image, we see the green colour option chosen for the seats. At the very end, we also see the lighting strip design near the gangway. |
The video also shows that Green was chosen as one of the colours used for seating within the train. Different cars are often denoted by different seat colours, with trains on the NEL being an exception to the norm. From the earlier post in April, we know that the light blue option was chosen as well, which was again displayed briefly during the latest video released today.
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| Source: LTA Users were asked to choose if they would like to have the LED lighting included near the gangway. |
Another option that was chosen was the inclusion of the LED strip lighting near the gangway area. This serves little practical purpose, other than offering a unique design feature.
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| Source: LTA How the gangway area would have looked, had the LED strip lighting option not been confirmed. |
With the first train on Singapore's shores, it will undergo integration testing at the SRTC. Prior to the development of the SRTC, tests were conducted on location where the trains were manufactured. These areas often offer different conditions than those that the train would operate in, resulting in LTA or the public transport operator having to make further adjustments during the testing & commissioning phase to account for local conditions. It will be some time yet before track laying works can commence on the CRL, hence the train is likely to be housed at the SRTC for some time yet to come.
Did any of the above features escape your eye? How many did you see when you first watched the video?
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