Alstom Metropolis C830C

Alstom Metropolis C830C
A C830C train at Kim Chuan Depot
Interior of C830C
Stock type	Electric multiple unit
In service	26 June 2015;9 years ago (2015-06-26) – present
Manufacturer	Shanghai Alstom Transport (Alstom and Shanghai Electric) [1]
Built at	Shanghai, China
Family name	Metropolis
Constructed	2014 – 2015
Entered service	26 June 2015;9 years ago (2015-06-26)
Number built	72 vehicles (24 sets)
Number in service	72 vehicles (24 sets)
Formation	3 per trainset Mc1–T–Mc2
Fleet numbers	841 – 864
Capacity	931 passengers
Operators	SMRT Trains Ltd (SMRT Corporation)
Depots	Kim Chuan
Lines served	CCL   Circle line
Specifications
Car body construction	Welded aluminium
Train length	70.1 m (229 ft 11+7⁄8 in)
Car length	23.65 m (77 ft 7+1⁄8 in) (Mc) 22.8 m (74 ft 9+5⁄8 in) (T)
Width	3.2 m (10 ft 6 in)
Height	3.7 m (12 ft 1+5⁄8 in)
Doors	1,450 mm (57+1⁄8 in), 8 per car, 4 per side
Maximum speed	90 km/h (56 mph) (design) 78 km/h (48 mph) (service)
Traction system	Alstom OPTONIX IGBT–VVVF [2]
Traction motors	8 × 150 kW (201 hp) 3-phase AC induction motor
Power output	1.2 MW (1,609 hp)
Acceleration	1.1 m/s2 (2.5 mph/s)
Deceleration	1.3 m/s2 (4.3 ft/s2) (Emergency)
Electric system(s)	750 V DC   third rail
Current collector(s)	Collector shoe
UIC classification	Bo′Bo′+2′2′+Bo′Bo′
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 [3] [4]
Coupling system	Scharfenberg
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge

The Alstom Metropolis C830C is the second generation of communication-based train control (CBTC) electric multiple unit rolling stock in operation on the Circle line of Singapore's Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system. 24 trainsets of three cars were manufactured by Shanghai Alstom Transport Co Ltd (a joint venture between Alstom and Shanghai Electric), ^{[1] [5]} with deliveries from end June 2014. ^[5]

Tender

The tender for trains under the contract 830C was opened together with another contract C751C for an additional 18 North East line trains which closed on 18 July 2011 with five bids. The Land Transport Authority shortlisted all of them, and the tender results were published on 1 February 2012. ^{[6] [7]}

S/N	Name of tenderer	Amount ($S) [7]
1	Alstom Transport S.A. / Alstom Transport (S) Pte Ltd Consortium	134,000,000.00 [8] (Base Tender 1 - Offered in mixed currencies, and hence the differences of amount shown in the tender document. [6] )
2	Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. / Kawasaki Heavy Industries(Singapore) Pte Ltd & CSR Qingdao Sifang Consortium / Singapore CSR Sifang Railway Vehicles Service Pte. Ltd. Consortium	198,321,046.16 (Base Tender 1)
3	Hyundai Rotem Company	149,121,600.00 (Base Tender 1)
4	Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, S.A.	115,576,832.68 (Base Tender 1)
5	CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive (formerly CSR Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Co., Ltd.) / Siemens Pte Ltd, Singapore Consortium	121,842,307.69 (Base Tender 1)

Design

The body shell is identical to its predecessor, the C830, with slight differences such as a larger SMRT logo up front and a different interior. The reserved seats are colored red to distinguish them from normal seats. Navy blue and lemon yellow coloured seats are installed in the driving motor cars (end carriages) while the seats in the middle car are khaki. ^[9] The train is equipped with traction motors louder than its predecessor, identical to those found on the M5 Series of the Amsterdam Metro.

Other changes include the inner layer of the doors finished in Bluish-Grey, a new Visual Passenger Information System, similar to that of C951(A), located above the doors and a new gangway design like the C751C.

The headlights on C830Cs are also much brighter than those on the C830s.

Features

The dynamic route map display (DRMD) as used on the C830C

The C830C features a Visual Passenger Information System, letting commuters know what the current and next station is, as well as green blinking lights which indicate on which side the doors will open when the train reaches the station.

There is also a dynamic in-train route display, which provides commuters with their route information throughout their journey, and also indicates which side the doors will open. DRMD panels are installed in these trains, which will be slightly modified in 2026 to include Keppel, Cantonment and Prince Edward Road stations on the Circle line Stage 6.

At most stations on the Circle line, the train doors open on the right side, but at some stations like Promenade (Towards HarbourFront) and Bayfront (Towards Stadium) as well as the terminal stations like Dhoby Ghaut and Marina Bay, some trains may open their doors on the left.

Driverless operation

The C830C is fully driverless under normal circumstances, using CBTC which do not require traditional "fixed-block track circuits" for determining train position. Instead, they rely on "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. Recent studies consistently show that CBTC systems reduce life-cycle costs for the overall rail property and enhance operational flexibility and control. ^[10]

Operational issues

Trainset 846 suffered from a faulty signalling hardware, resulting in intermittent signaling issues which caused widespread disruptions to the Circle MRT line for a week in both August and November 2016. ^[11]

Train formation

The coupling configuration of a C830C in revenue service is Mc1–T–Mc2.

Cars of C830C

Car type	Quantity	Driver cab	Motor	Collector shoe	Car length		Wheelchair bay
					m	ft in
Mc	2	✓	✓	✓	23.65	77 ft 7.1 in	✗
T	1	✗	✗	✓	22.8	74 ft 9.6 in	✓

The car numbers of the trains range from 841x to 864x, where x depends on the carriage type. Individual cars are assigned a 4 digit serial number by the rail operator SMRT Trains. A complete three-car trainset consists of one trailer (T) and two driving motor (Mc) cars permanently coupled together. For example, set 841 consists of carriages 8411, 8412, 8413.

• The first digit is always an 8.
• The second and third digits identify the set number.
• The fourth digit identifies the car number, where the first car has a 1, the second has a 2 and the third has a 3.
• Alstom built sets 841 – 864.

References

1. "Driverless trains delivered to Singapore". Railway Gazette. 23 July 2014. Archived from the original on 16 June 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
2. "Alstom to supply 34 Metropolis trains and signalling upgrade to Singapore metro". French Chamber Singapore. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2015.
3. "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.
4. "URBALIS Evolution: Controlling the Performance" (PDF). p. 4. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 June 2020. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
5. "Alstom delivers the first two metros built in Asia for LTA in Singapore". 23 July 2014. Archived from the original on 11 December 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
6. TENDER INFORMATION Archived 2016-11-30 at the Wayback Machine - Land Transport Authority, 1 Feb 2012
7. CONTRACT 751C & 830C Archived 2016-11-30 at the Wayback Machine - Land Transport Authority
8. "LTA and SMRT Award Contracts for New Trains". Land Transport Authority. 1 February 2012. Archived from the original on 26 October 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
9. "Alstom Metropolis C830C". SGTrains. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2016-02-29.
10. "Urbalis control system". Archived from the original on 2014-08-05.
11. Tan, Christopher (11 November 2016). "Mystery of Circle Line's signalling woes solved, train with faulty signalling hardware to blame: LTA". Straits Times. Archived from the original on 11 November 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2016.

External links

• Media related to Alstom Metropolis C830C at Wikimedia Commons