Alstom Metropolis C751A

Not to be confused with Kawasaki Heavy Industries & Nippon Sharyo C751B or Alstom Metropolis C751C.

Alstom Metropolis C751A
Front of an Alstom Metropolis C751A at Sengkang Depot.
Inside an Alstom Metropolis Car on the North East Line. Trains running on this line are driverless and fully automated.
In service	20 June 2003 (2003-06-20) – Present
Manufacturer	Alstom
Built at	Valenciennes, France
Family name	Metropolis
Constructed	2000 – 2003
Entered service	2003
Refurbished	CRRC Nanjing Puzhen 2019 - 2024
Number built	150 vehicles (25 trains)
Number in service	150 vehicles (25 trains)
Formation	6 per trainset DT-Mp-Mi-Mi-Mp-DT
Fleet numbers	7001/7002 – 7049/7050
Capacity	1920 passengers 298 seats
Operators	SBS Transit (ComfortDelGro)
Depots	Sengkang
Lines served	NEL  North East line
Specifications
Car body construction	Welded aluminium
Car length	23.65 m (77 ft 7+1⁄8 in) (Tc) 22.8 m (74 ft 9+5⁄8 in) (Mp/Mi)
Width	3.2 m (10 ft 6 in)
Height	3.7 m (12 ft 1+5⁄8 in)
Floor height	1,100 mm (3 ft 7+1⁄4 in)
Doors	1,450 mm (57 in), 8 per car
Maximum speed	100 km/h (62 mph) (design) 90 km/h (56 mph) (service)
Weight	230 t (230 long tons; 250 short tons) (6 passengers/1 m2 or 11 sq ft
Traction system	IGBT-VVVF (Alstom ONIX 1500)
Traction motors	Three-phase AC induction motor (Alstom ONIX 1500) 150 kW (200 hp)
Power output	2.4 MW (3,200 hp)
Acceleration	1.1 m/s2 (3.6 ft/s2)
Deceleration	1.4 m/s2 (4.6 ft/s2) (Emergency)
Electric system(s)	1500 V DC overhead catenary
Current collector(s)	Pantograph
Bogies	16 t (16 long tons; 18 short tons) per axle
Safety system(s)	Alstom URBALIS 300 Moving Block CBTC ATC with subsystems of ATO GOA 4 (UTO), ATP, Iconis ATS, Smartlock CBI
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge

The Alstom Metropolis C751A trains are the first generation of communication-based train control (CBTC) rolling stock that has been in service in Singapore's Mass Rapid Transit on the North East Line since 2003. 25 trainsets were purchased for the line.

SBS Transit's C751A, debuted in 2003 along with the opening of NEL. This shows the interior.

Overview

Door of the Alstom MT

The six-car trains on the North East Line are powered by overhead catenary, a first in Singapore's MRT history. Rolling stock on all the other operating lines are powered by a third rail because authorities considered overhead wires to be unsightly and did not allow for trains to be powered using this method on elevated lines. Since this line is the first to be fully underground in Singapore, the authorities had a choice between powering the trains on this line by overhead catenary or third rail. This rolling stock is the first to have seats of the same colour in every compartment of the train.

Alstom was contracted in 1997 and 1998 (as Contract C751A) by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) in Singapore to supply for trains for the North East Line.

• Platform gap reducers have been added on all C751A trains and they are similar to those on the C830C and C751C.

Refurbishment

In December 2018, LTA announced that the line will undergo mid-life refurbishment works from 2019 onwards. A contract worth $116.7 million was awarded to CRCC Nanjing Puzhen for the refurbishment works. All 25 first-generation C751A trains will be upgraded. The trains' interior, such as seats, panels and flooring, will get a facelift, and the air-conditioning, ventilation and passenger information systems will be upgraded. Works are expected to be completed by 2024..

Announcements

The announcements for the North East Line differ from those on MRT lines operated by SMRT Trains, i.e. a different announcer. The "doors closing" announcements and chime are taken from old announcements introduced in 1994 for the North South and East West Lines. Upon arrival at train stations, a "Please Mind the Gap" announcement would be made in four languages. "Please do not Lean Against the Doors" and several safety announcements are occasionally broadcast to commuters.

Exterior Design

Red and purple stripes run along the train livery for passengers to easily identify that the trains are operated by SBS Transit. The fleet numbers were placed on the roof above the 1st and 4th doors on each carriage and three SBS Transit logos are placed per side per carriage. C751A trains do not have a middle window cut out which can be used to see the tracks, as opposed to the newer driverless trains in the system.

Interior Design

The interior colouring scheme of the trains is largely different from other trains in the system, with beige being used for the roof, the emergency communication button and the top ends of the seats, and lavender for the lower parts of the seats. Wheelchair spaces are located at the 9th and 16th doors of the trains. 24 LCD displays had been installed on the trains but they were deactivated. These trains had two side windows at each end for viewing the tracks, but there was no middle window cut into the emergency train exit, which was only introduced starting with the C830 trains. Moreover, manually driven trains may be deployed during peak hours. Passengers would thus have difficulty in viewing the tunnel from either the front or behind.

Driverless operation

The C751A is the first fully driverless heavy metro rolling stock in Singapore. Nonetheless, SBS Transit hires employees trained to drive the trains manually if necessary.

Communications-based Train Control (CBTC), which maintains a "continuous two-way digital communication" between each controlled train and a wayside control center, which may control an area of a railroad line, a complete line or a group of lines help track the trains' positions. Recent studies consistently show that CBTC systems reduce life-cycle costs for the overall rail property and enhance operational flexibility and control.

Experimental Programmes

• 2 Visual Passenger Information System or VPIS installed in each train car. These displays show the name of the next station, current station, door closing messages and occasionally the date and time.
• 6 LCD are installed on the overhead panel in each train car. These screens formally showed rail travel information of the next station and terminating station, silent commercials and safety videos. The units have since been deactivated due to lack of demand.
• Some of C751A trains had been installed four rows for standing area to take away 28 seatings in between two doors in each carriage. This creates space for more commuters to board, especially during peak hours.

Train Formation

The configuration of a C751A in revenue service is DT-Mp-Mi-Mi-Mp-DT

Cars of C751A
car type	Control Cab	Motor	Pantograph	car length		Wheelchair Bay
				mm	ft in
DT	✓	✗	✗	23,650	77 ft 7.1 in	✗
Mi	✗	✓	✗	22,800	74 ft 9.6 in	✓
Mp	✗	✓	✓	22,800	74 ft 9.6 in	✗

The car numbers of the trains range from 7x001 to 7x050, where x depends on the carriage type. Individual cars are assigned a five-digit serial number. A complete six-car trainset consists of an identical twin set of one driving trailer(DT) and two motor cars(Mi & Mp) permanently coupled together. For example, set 7011/7012 consists of carriages 71011, 72011, 73011, 73012, 72012 and 71012.

• The first digit is always a 7.
• The second digit identifies the car number, where the first car has a 1, the second has a 2 & the third has a 3.
• The third digit is always a 0.
• The fourth digit and fifth digit are the train identification numbers. A full length train of 6 cars have 2 different identification numbers. For example, 011/012 (normal coupling) or 011/022 (cross coupling).
  • Alstom built sets 001-050.

See also

• Alstom Metropolis