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New trains boast information displays and brighter LED lighting

SINGAPORE — On Sunday (April 16), commuters on the North-South Line may be riding in the first of a fleet of new trains, outfitted with fresh features, ranging from more comprehensive information displays to brighter LED lighting.

The exterior of the new SMRT train, the first of 57 new trains that will be added to the North-South and East-West lines will carry its first passengers on April 16, 2017, on the North-South Line. Photo: Koh Mui Fong/TODAY

The exterior of the new SMRT train, the first of 57 new trains that will be added to the North-South and East-West lines will carry its first passengers on April 16, 2017, on the North-South Line. Photo: Koh Mui Fong/TODAY

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SINGAPORE — On Sunday (April 16), commuters on the North-South Line may be riding in the first of a fleet of new trains, outfitted with fresh features, ranging from more comprehensive information displays to brighter LED lighting.

A total of 57 of these new trains will be added to the North-South and East-West lines to enlarge capacity, and they will arrive by 2019. The trains have LCD screens providing information such as the current and upcoming stops as well as places of interests near stations. They also list details of a station’s layout, among other things.

Compared with the fluorescent lights fitted on older trains, the new trains — made by Japanese train manufacturer Kawasaki Heavy Industries and China-based CSR Sifang — use LED lights, which conserve more energy and are brighter.

The trains also have electric doors, instead of pneumatic ones — powered by compressed air — in older models, making for improved precision. Each door also has a diagnostic function that allows information to be downloaded to a computer to detect malfunctioning parts. Two of the six train cars will have areas marked out for wheelchairs.

Forty-five of the 57 trains have arrived since May 2015, and “stringent” tests have been carried out on the safety, functionality, comfort and performance of the trains and their sub-systems, the Land Transport Authority and SMRT said. 

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