The Mass Rapid Transit system, locally known by the initialism MRT, is a rapid transit system in Singapore and the island country's principal mode of railway transportation. The system commenced operations in November 1987 after two decades of planning with an initial 6 km (3.7 mi) stretch consisting of five stations. The network has since grown to span the length and breadth of the country's main island – with the exception of the forested core and the rural northwestern region – in accordance with Singapore's aim of developing a comprehensive rail network as the backbone of the country's public transportation system, averaging a daily ridership of 3.45 million in 2023.
The North–South Line (NSL) is a high-capacity Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line in Singapore, operated by SMRT Corporation. Coloured red on the Singapore rail map, the line is 45 kilometres (28 mi) long and serves 27 stations, 11 of which, between the Bishan and Marina South Pier stations, are underground. It runs from Jurong East station, located in Western Singapore, to Marina South Pier station in the Central Area, via Woodlands station in northern Singapore. The line operates for almost 20 hours a day, with headways of up to 1 to 2 minutes during peak hours and 5 to 8 minutes during off-peak hours. All the trains on the North–South Line run with a six-car formation.
The East–West Line (EWL) is a high-capacity Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line operated by SMRT in Singapore, running from Pasir Ris station in the east to Tuas Link station in the west, with an additional branch between Changi Airport and Tanah Merah stations. It is the second Mass Rapid Transit line to be built in Singapore. Coloured green on the rail map, the line serves 35 stations, 8 of which are underground. At 57.2 kilometres (35.5 mi), the line is the longest on the MRT network.
The Summit Tunnel fire occurred on 20 December 1984, when a dangerous goods train caught fire while passing through the Summit Tunnel on the railway line between Littleborough and Todmorden on the Greater Manchester/West Yorkshire border, England.
Clementi MRT station is an above-ground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the East–West Line (EWL). Located in Clementi, Singapore, the station is located along Commonwealth Avenue West and serves landmarks such as The Clementi Mall, Clementi Bus Interchange and Clementi Fire Station.
Khaw Boon Wan is a Malaysian-born Singaporean former politician who served as Minister for Transport between 2015 and 2020, Minister for National Development between 2011 and 2015, and Minister for Health between 2003 and 2011. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he was the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Moulmein division of Tanjong Pagar GRC between 2001 and 2006, and the Sembawang division of Sembawang GRC between 2006 and 2020.
Redhill MRT station is an above-ground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station on the East West line (EWL) located in Bukit Merah, Singapore.
Pioneer MRT station is a Mass Rapid Transit station in Singapore. It is part of the MRT East West Line and serves the residential estate of Pioneer. The station is located along Jurong West Street 63 and provides a convenient mode of transportation for residents and visitors to the area.
Joo Koon MRT station is an above-ground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station along the East West Line in Pioneer planning area, Singapore.
The Kawasaki Heavy Industries & Nippon Sharyo (KNS) C751B is the third generation electric multiple unit rolling stock in operation on the North–South and East–West lines of Singapore's Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system since early 2000, manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries & Nippon Sharyo (KNS) under Contract 751B. 21 trainsets of 6 cars each were purchased at S$231 million, and it is the first rolling stock to feature VVVF insulated-gate bipolar transistor traction control system. Kawasaki manufactured 66 cars and Nippon Sharyo manufactured 60 cars respectively with no comparable differences, having been built to agreed specifications. These trains are the third generation of rolling stock to be used on the two lines.
The Siemens C651 is the second generation electric multiple unit rolling stock in operation on the North–South and East–West lines of Singapore's Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system, manufactured by Siemens Mobility (SIE) and SGP Verkehrstechnik in Vienna, Austria under Contract 651. A total of 114 cars consisting of 19 train-sets were purchased in 1992 and introduced into service from 1995 onwards.
The Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) C151 is the first generation electric multiple unit (EMU) rolling stock in operation on the North–South and East–West lines of Singapore's Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system, manufactured by a consortium led by Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) under Contract 151. They were first introduced in 1987 and are the oldest trains in operation on the network.
Bishan Depot or is a depot located on the Mass Rapid Transit in Bishan, Singapore. It was completed in 1986 by American architect Vikas M. Gore and the 12,000 square metres maintenance area at cost of S$300 million.
The safety of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system in Singapore was questioned by the public after several accidents on the system during the 1980s and 1990s. Most problems have been addressed, and many safety measures are visible to users of the system.
SMRT Trains Limited is a rail operator in Singapore and a wholly owned subsidiary of SMRT Corporation. After the privatisation of the MRT operations in 1995, it was originally named Singapore MRT Limited. On 31 December 2001, it was renamed SMRT Trains Limited, so as to avoid confusion with the then upcoming North East MRT line which would be under SBS Transit. SMRT Trains currently manages most of the MRT services in Singapore except the North East Line and Downtown Line.
The Kawasaki Heavy Industries & CSR Qingdao Sifang C151A is the fourth generation electric multiple unit rolling stock in operation with majority operating on the North–South Line, with a few operating on the East–West Line of Singapore's Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system, manufactured by Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) and CRRC Qingdao Sifang under Contract 151A. Their introduction to the network has increased the capacity of both lines by 15%.
Tuas Crescent MRT station is an above-ground Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station along the East–West line in Tuas, Singapore. This station is named after a road in the vicinity.
The Joo Koon rail accident, sometimes referred to as the Joo Koon train collision, was a crash which happened on 15 November 2017, when a C151A train travelling at 16 kilometres per hour (9.9 mph) rear-ended a stationary C151A train at Joo Koon station on the East–West MRT line, resulting in 38 injuries. The stationary train was in the process of being detrained due to a train fault. Both trains were operating under the recently installed Thales SelTrac CBTC signalling system at the time of incident, and the Minister of Transport Khaw Boon Wan expressed that he was "disturbed" by an initial finding that "critical safety software" was inadvertently removed from the stationary train, possibly due to a malfunctioning signalling circuit, which led to the crash. This incident is the second train collision in Singapore MRT's history, after the Clementi rail accident.
The Bishan MRT tunnel flooding was a major incident on the North South MRT line (NSL) of the Singapore MRT which occurred at 5.33 pm on 7 October 2017. The flooding of the tunnels between the Bishan and Braddell MRT stations was caused by heavy rain and a faulty maintenance pump. The flooding completely blocked the tunnel, and bus services had to be deployed while the Singapore Civil Defence Force and maintenance staff removed the water from the tunnel. The incident caused more than S$2 million in damages and lost revenue for the operator SMRT and led to the firing of eight maintenance employees.
On 26 August 2020 a freight train carrying diesel fuel and gas oil in tank wagons derailed at Morlais Junction, Llangennech, Carmarthenshire, Wales. Some of the derailed wagons caught fire, leading to an evacuation of people living nearby. There was widespread contamination from the spilled fuel. The clean-up operation was described by Natural Resources Wales as the most challenging since the Sea Empress oil spill in 1996. The accident was caused by defective brakes on a wagon causing an axle to seize, which in turn caused deformation of the track under the train as it travelled over a set of points. The Heart of Wales Line was closed for seven months as a result of the derailment.
