The construction of a high-speed MRT train test track at a facility in Tuas – the first of its kind in South-east Asia – has been completed.
The 3km track will open the way for trains to be tested at speeds of up to 100kmh as part of the first phase of the Singapore Rail Test Centre (SRTC).
Already, two new trains that will ply the upcoming Stage 6 of the Circle Line (CCL) are being put through their paces there ahead of their deployment in 2026, the Land Transport Authority said on Thursday.
Stage 6 of the CCL will close the loop for the line, connecting the HarbourFront and Marina Bay stations.
SRTC, formerly known as the Integrated Train Testing Centre, is on track to be completed in 2025. Civil construction work on the centre is now about 85 per cent done.
Originally set for completion in 2024, the $640m project was delayed by the pandemic.
The second phase of construction involves the building of two other test tracks as well as an operations control centre, an administration building, and maintenance and refurbishment workshops. The other test tracks are a 3km looped endurance track with an uphill gradient, and a 2.8km performance and integration track.
When fully operational, the facility will allow Singapore to carry out rail testing under conditions mirroring those of its MRT lines, Acting Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat said at an event on Thursday to mark the completion of the facility’s first phase.
The Straits Times
