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| 31 July 2026 - The first two train sets for the Cross Island Line during the unveiling ceremony at the Singapore Rail Test Centre. |
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| Interior colours chosen from the online poll conducted during the public design consultation. Cars 1 and 6 will feature light blue, Cars 2 and 5 will feature green & Cars 3 and 4 will feature dark blue schemes respectively. |
Today, SgMC was at the Singapore Rail Test Centre (SRTC). The visit was premised under the pretext of the Transport Minister's visit to view the testing of Cross Island Line (CRL) trains in Singapore. During his opening speech for the visit, the Minister also unveiled the alignment and locations of stations & depot for the final phase of the CRL. There will be a separate post on that. In this post, we'll tackle the things that we're sure you're eagerly awaiting for - the design features of the CRL trains. You may recall that the LTA had solicited for the public's opinion on certain design features for the CRL trains. We're bringing you along on this visit to the trains that were on display in static mode at the SRTC today.
Special thanks to Land Transport Authority (LTA) for the invite.
Recap on the design features that the public could vote for
Here's a brief throwback to the various features that the public could have their say in:
1. Seat colours - Choose 3 from 4 options
- Light blue
- Dark blue
- Green
- Orange
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| Options for seat colour scheme selection. Source: LTA |
2. Grab handle well next to the doors - Choose 1 of 2 options
- Coloured Lime
- Coloured White
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| Options for doorway hand rail well design. Source: LTA |
3. Draught screen panel design - Choose 1 of 2 options
- Horizontal diamonds
- Diagonal triangles, each pair forming a vague diamond shape
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| Options for draught screen panel designs. Source: LTA |
4. Floor colour - Choose 1 of 2 options
- Single tone
- Dual tone
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| Options for flooring designs. Source: LTA |
5. Gangway light feature - Choose 1 of 2 options
- No feature
- LED light feature
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| Options for gangway area designs. Source: LTA |
Green scheme and Diamond motifs
Everyone knows that the CRL's line colour is Lime, which is used extensively throughout the train. The colour is visible on the exterior, through the stripe on the exterior livery. It is also present to demarcate priority seats, perch seats and on all handgrips through all cars on the train. A diamond motif is also present - this can be found on the exterior Lime strip and on the feature lights in the train's interior.
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| 31 July 2026 - A view of the exterior of the two CRL train sets on display. |
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| 31 July 2026 - A closer view of the diamond motif along the Lime strip seen on Set 1. |
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| 31 July 2026 - The diamond motif present on the feature lights in the Car's saloon area. |
Seat colours - Light Blue, Green & Dark Blue
The trains consist of 6 cars, with the cars numbered sequentially from end-to-end. This means that Cars 1 and 6 are the end cars with drivers' consoles and detrainment doors. Cars 2 through 5 form the middle cars, with Cars 2 and 5 being also equipped with a pantograph for supply of the electrical power - we'll touch on that later on. Orange was not chosen as a colour option for the CRL trains. Ultimately, these are the colour assignments for the seats in each of the trains' cars:
- Cars 1 and 6 - Light blue
- Cars 2 and 5 - Green
- Cars 3 and 4 - Dark blue
The arrangement of the cars mirrors each half of the train, meaning that the colours are repeated in the mirrored order from the front/middle of the train. This is similar to existing colour scheme deployments on 6-car trains operating on the North-South & East-West Lines.
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| 31 July 2026 - Dark blue seat colour scheme. |
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| 31 July 2026 - Green seat colour scheme. |
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| 31 July 2026 - Light blue seat colour scheme. |
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| 31 July 2026 - A view of the seats in Car 5. |
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| 31 July 2026 - A view of the seats in Car 5, with the car number visible near the gangway area. |
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| 31 July 2026 - A view of the seats in Car 4, with the car number visible near the gangway area. |
Hand rail well - Coloured Lime
We know from the earlier videos posted by Minister while he was on a visit to China that the hand rail wells near the doors have been coloured Lime. This allows users to easily identify where the hand rails are and aids visibility when.
We know from the earlier videos posted by Minister while he was on a visit to China that the hand rail wells near the doors have been coloured Lime. This allows users to easily identify where the hand rails are and aids visibility when.
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| 31 July 2026 - A view of the hand rail well, along with the emergency intercomm system. |
Draught screen panel design - Diagonally facing triangles, pairs make a diamond shape
The draught screen panels employ the triangle design, with each pair of triangles forming a loose diamond shape, continuing the diamond motif found on other parts of the train - albeit in a different design form. The triangles, however, were barely visible and could be missed if someone were not actively seeking the design out. |
| 31 July 2026 - The design on the draft screen panel retains the diamond motif, albeit using two triangles that are not connected to each other. |
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| 31 July 2026 - The design option was barely visible and was not very extensive. |
Floor colour design - Single tone
A single, consistent tone was used for the floor across all carriages. Darker tones were chosen, which will mean that dirt will be less noticeable on the trains once they enter into service when the line opens.
A single, consistent tone was used for the floor across all carriages. Darker tones were chosen, which will mean that dirt will be less noticeable on the trains once they enter into service when the line opens.
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| 31 July 2026 |
Gangway lighting feature - LED lights
From earlier promotional videos shared by the LTA, we also know that the public chose to have the LED lights included as a design feature of the CRL trains. These definitely set the trains apart from any other existing trains in use locally.
From earlier promotional videos shared by the LTA, we also know that the public chose to have the LED lights included as a design feature of the CRL trains. These definitely set the trains apart from any other existing trains in use locally.
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| 31 July 2026 - A view of the LED lights included as a feature near the gangway area. |
Other features - Pantograph
The CRL will be the second line to use overhead electrification to power the trains instead of the conventional third rail system used for most other lines locally - the first line being the North East Line. A pantograph is used instead of contact shoes to draw power from the overhead catenary rail system. As lines using overhead electrification tend to be underground, pantographs are not an often seen part of the train, being obscured by platform screen doors and light reflection. We managed to get a view of the CRL train's pantograph during today's visit.
The CRL will be the second line to use overhead electrification to power the trains instead of the conventional third rail system used for most other lines locally - the first line being the North East Line. A pantograph is used instead of contact shoes to draw power from the overhead catenary rail system. As lines using overhead electrification tend to be underground, pantographs are not an often seen part of the train, being obscured by platform screen doors and light reflection. We managed to get a view of the CRL train's pantograph during today's visit.
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| 31 July 2026 - The pantograph, seen above Set 1's Car 5. There will be a similar pantograph on Car 2 as well. |
Other features - Split overhead hand rails
Another unique feature of the CRL trains are the sections near the doors where the overhead hand rail splits into two parallel rails, forming rectangles. This is presumably to allow passengers to grab hold of, especially when the areas near the doors are crowded. An unfortunate effect of this is that the LED text screens in the aisle do get quite obscured.
Another unique feature of the CRL trains are the sections near the doors where the overhead hand rail splits into two parallel rails, forming rectangles. This is presumably to allow passengers to grab hold of, especially when the areas near the doors are crowded. An unfortunate effect of this is that the LED text screens in the aisle do get quite obscured.
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| 31 July 2026 - A view of the rectangular shape where the overhead rail splits into two parallel lines. |
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| 31 July 2026 - Another view of the rectangular overhead rail from a standing position. |
Source: SGMC YoutTube
Those were most of the major design features and other features that we noted during our visit to the SRTC today. Here are some other pictures that you may enjoy, including those of the exhibition panels displayed.
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| 31 July 2026 - A view of Set 1 Car 6. |
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| 31 July 2026 - A view of Set 2 Car 6 with the detrainment door & ramp deployment. |
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| 31 July 2026 - A view of the driver's console area of Set 2. |
Source: SGMC YouTube
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We hope that this series of pictures helps to give you an idea of the features on the CRL trains that you'll be able to see once the trains enter service. The countdown is underway - 2030 is around the corner. Before we get there, there will be the Jurong Region Line's opening with new trains to explore then. In the mean time, we'll keep you updated as construction progresses along the CRL. Stay tuned!
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