Alstom Metropolis C751A

Alstom Metropolis C751A
Front of an Alstom Metropolis C751A at Sengkang Depot. Trains running on this line are driverless and fully automated.
Interior of a Alstom Metropolis C751A before refurbishment Interior of a refurbished Alstom Metropolis C751A.
In service	20 June 2003;20 years ago (2003-06-20) – Present
Manufacturer	Alstom
Built at	Valenciennes, France
Family name	Metropolis
Constructed	2000 – 2003
Entered service	20 June 2003;20 years ago (2003-06-20)
Refurbished	CRRC Nanjing Puzhen 2019 – 2026 [1]
Number built	150 Vehicles (25 Sets, 9 Refurbished)
Number in service	138 Vehicles (23 Sets, 2 Under Refurbishment)
Formation	6 per trainset DT–Mp–Mi+Mi–Mp–DT
Fleet numbers	7001/7002 – 7049/7050
Capacity	1920 passengers (298 seats)
Operators	SBS Transit Ltd (ComfortDelGro Corporation)
Depots	Sengkang
Lines served	NEL   North East line
Specifications
Car body construction	Welded aluminium
Train length	138.5 m (454 ft 4+3⁄4 in)
Car length	23.65 m (77 ft 7+1⁄8 in) (DT) 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+1⁄8 in), 8 per car, 4 per side
Wheel diameter	850–775 mm (33.5–30.5 in) [2]
Wheelbase	2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) [2]
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)
Axle load	16 t (16 long tons; 18 short tons) [2]
Traction system	Alstom ONIX 1500 IGBT–VVVF
Traction motors	16 × Alstom 4LCA 2138 [3] 150 kW (200 hp) asynchronous 3-phase AC
Power output	2.4 MW (3,200 hp)
Acceleration	1.1 m/s2 (3.6 ft/s2)
Deceleration	1.3 m/s2 (4.3 ft/s2) (Emergency)
Electric system(s)	1,500 V DC overhead catenary
Current collector(s)	Pantograph
UIC classification	2′2′+Bo′Bo′+Bo′Bo′+Bo′Bo′+Bo′Bo′+2′2′
Bogies	Alstom B25 [2]
Braking system(s)	Regenerative and pneumatic
Safety system(s)	Alstom URBALIS 300 moving block CBTC ATC under ATO GoA 4 (UTO), with subsystems of ATP, Iconis ATS and Smartlock CBI [4] [5]
Coupling system	Scharfenberg coupler
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge

The Alstom Metropolis C751A is the first generation of communications-based train control (CBTC) electric multiple unit rolling stock in operation on the North East line of Singapore's Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system since 2003. 25 trainsets were purchased for the line.

Operational history and overview

Initiated in 1997 when the North East Line was under construction, Alstom was awarded a C751A contract to supply the trains for the North East line. ^[6] The trains were part of the Metropolis family of the urban EMU trains. Unlike all other MRT lines, it draws power from the 1,500 V DC overhead catenary, which is unique whereas, this traction power use is optional in Singapore's rail network.

Also, it was the first to have seats of the same color in every compartment of the train, together with the first fully driverless rolling stock in Singapore. Nevertheless, SBS Transit hires rover employees to drive trains manually if needed. ^[7] For Alstom, it uses the URBALIS 300 moving-block communications-based (CBTC) Automatic Train Control (ATC) system, which optimizes headway and enables extra trains to be injected automatically into the system at rush hour to increase passenger capacity and reduce congestion. ^[6] In the depot, trains are also operated in fully automatic mode. Communication between the train and the fixed signaling equipment is enabled by the IAGO two-way continuous transmission system. Station-based automatic train supervision ensures a greater degree of availability. Built-in test equipment has also been included, and Eurobalise standards have been adopted for spot transmission.

This rolling stock was the first to have seats of the same color in every compartment of the train, which is the uniform color of beige and purple. Trains also have two side windows at each end for viewing the tracks. The exterior of the C751A trains are black together with red and purple stripes, similar to C751C only. C751A trains do not have a middle window cut out, unlike the newer driverless trains in the MRT system. This is because it had to make way for the old detrainment ramp, which was not as compact as that of the newer Alstom Metropolis models on the North East line and the Circle line.

Platform gap reducers were since added to all C751A trains, similar to those on the C830C and C751C.

All C751A trains consist of the Visual Passenger Information System (VPIS). These displays show the name of the next station, the current station, door-closing messages, and occasionally the date and time. Also, some of the C751A trains have been installed with four rows for the standing area since 2015.

Refurbishment

In December 2018, LTA announced that the C751A trains will undergo mid-life refurbishment works from 2019 onwards. A contract worth $116.7 million was awarded to CRRC 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 be replaced. The current 6 LCD screens on the side panels (which formerly showed rail travel information of the next station and terminating station, silent commercials, and safety videos) above some seats had already been deactivated and were removed in refurbished trains. ^[8] However, a new LTA LCD Dynamic Route Map Display (DRMD) located above each door will be retrofitted. These DRMDs will be similar to those on newer MRT trains such as the T251 and R151. In addition, Air-conditioning & ventilation systems will be upgraded.

The exterior livery design will be retained with the exception of Land Transport Authority logos. Smaller SBS Transit logos are located on the gangway ends of each car in a similar fashion to LTA's earlier corporate livery designs. Works are expected to be completed by Q1 2026. ^[1]

The first refurbished train set (7013/7014) re-entered passenger service on 28 February 2022. ^{[9] [10]}

The fully automated operation of the North East line trains allows for passengers to view the tracks on each end of the trainset

Train formation

The coupling configuration of a C751A in revenue service is DT–Mp–Mi+Mi–Mp–DT.

Cars of C751A

Car Type	Driver Cab	Motor	Pantograph	Car Length		Wheelchair Bay
				m	ft in
DM	✓	✗	✗	23.65	77 ft 7.1 in	✗
Mp	✗	✓	✓	22.8	74 ft 9.6 in	✗
Mi	✗	✓	✗	22.8	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 by the rail operator SBS Transit. 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 7013/7014 consists of cars 71013, 72013, 73013, 73014, 72014 and 71014.

• 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 has 2 different identification numbers. For example, 7013/7014.
• Alstom built sets 7001/7002 – 7049/7050.

References

1. "SBS AR22 Review Section v29 Full Report" (PDF).
2. "Alstom Bogies Catalogue 2015 – English" (PDF). Alstom. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 September 2015. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
3. "Alstom Motors Catalogue 2015 – English" (PDF). Alstom. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 June 2018. Retrieved 4 November 2023.
4. "Singapore Northeast Line: will soon be the largest, fully automatic metro system in the world" (PDF). pp. 4 to 8. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 June 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
5. "URBALIS Evolution: Controlling the Performance" (PDF). p. 4. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 June 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
6. "Singapore Northeast Line – The first fully automatic heavy metro system" (PDF). Alstom. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 25 February 2008.
7. "SMRT to deploy drivers to once-driverless MRT lines to improve reliability". SingaporeGO!.
8. "VISUAL PASSENGER INFORMATION SYSTEM FOR SINGAPORE MRT AND LRT LINES" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 April 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2011.
9. "NEL to undergo major renewal from January". The Straits Times. 17 December 2018. Archived from the original on 19 December 2018. Retrieved 19 December 2018.
10. "Refurbished North East Line train to enter service from Feb 28; first of 25 to get mid-life upgrade". The Straits Times. 27 February 2022. Retrieved 1 December 2023.(subscription required)