Chinese-made subway trains in Singapore have cracks in their car bodies and key structural components, resulting in 35 trains being shipped back to their manufacturer in Qingdao for replacement, FactWire can reveal.
Details of the defects and the recalls have been kept secret in both Singapore and China. The same mainland manufacturer is responsible for manufacturing nine trains for the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XLR) and 93 trains for the Mass Transit Railway Corporation’s (MTR Corporation) four urban lines.
A source from the mainland railway industry told FactWire that Singapore’s subway operator SMRT Trains Ltd (SMRT) was secretly shipping defective trains back to mainland China for replacement and repair by manufacturer CSR Sifang Locomotive & Rolling Stock Company Ltd (CSR Sifang).
According to sources, the defective trains are being stored at SMRT’s Bishan Depot. After 1am on June 12, FactWire reporters witnessed two train cars wrapped in green covering being moved out of the depot.
Each of the two covered train cars were more than 20m long. They were placed on large dollies used for transporting train cars and were towed away by cargo trucks, led by police cars and construction vehicles. At approximately 3am, the two train cars arrived at Jurong Port, located in Singapore’s western industrial area. Using a drone camera, reporters discovered that six train cars had already been placed in one corner of the port. Cranes, derricks, and other large machines believed to be used for lifting trains were situated nearby.
Another source from the mainland railway industry confirmed that the train spotted by FactWire reporters was to be taken by cargo ship to Qingdao, with the voyage taking more than 10 days. In late June, reporters went to the factory of train manufacturer CSR Sifang, located in Qingdao’s Chengyang district. Two of CSR Sifang’s staff confirmed that the train had arrived at the factory on June 25 from Singapore. Outside the factory, reporters saw trains wrapped in green covering identical to the kind seen in Singapore. Some of the green covering had “E27” printed on it, the same marking seen on the covering of the trains in Singapore.
The defective trains belong to the SMRT’s C151A series. In May 2009, Singapore’s Land Transport Authority awarded the manufacturing contract of the C151A trains to a consortium consisting of Japanese company Kawasaki Heavy Industries Rolling Stock Company (Kawasaki Heavy Industries), its Singapore subsidiary, and CSR Sifang. 22 trains were ordered, totalling S$368 million, equivalent to approximately HK$2.1 billion. Singapore later ordered an extra 13 trains of the same series in 2011. From May 2011 to 2014, 35 trains were shipped to Singapore and put into service.
Full article at https://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/07/...retly-recalls-35-trains-singapore-due-cracks/
Details of the defects and the recalls have been kept secret in both Singapore and China. The same mainland manufacturer is responsible for manufacturing nine trains for the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XLR) and 93 trains for the Mass Transit Railway Corporation’s (MTR Corporation) four urban lines.
A source from the mainland railway industry told FactWire that Singapore’s subway operator SMRT Trains Ltd (SMRT) was secretly shipping defective trains back to mainland China for replacement and repair by manufacturer CSR Sifang Locomotive & Rolling Stock Company Ltd (CSR Sifang).
According to sources, the defective trains are being stored at SMRT’s Bishan Depot. After 1am on June 12, FactWire reporters witnessed two train cars wrapped in green covering being moved out of the depot.
Each of the two covered train cars were more than 20m long. They were placed on large dollies used for transporting train cars and were towed away by cargo trucks, led by police cars and construction vehicles. At approximately 3am, the two train cars arrived at Jurong Port, located in Singapore’s western industrial area. Using a drone camera, reporters discovered that six train cars had already been placed in one corner of the port. Cranes, derricks, and other large machines believed to be used for lifting trains were situated nearby.
Another source from the mainland railway industry confirmed that the train spotted by FactWire reporters was to be taken by cargo ship to Qingdao, with the voyage taking more than 10 days. In late June, reporters went to the factory of train manufacturer CSR Sifang, located in Qingdao’s Chengyang district. Two of CSR Sifang’s staff confirmed that the train had arrived at the factory on June 25 from Singapore. Outside the factory, reporters saw trains wrapped in green covering identical to the kind seen in Singapore. Some of the green covering had “E27” printed on it, the same marking seen on the covering of the trains in Singapore.
The defective trains belong to the SMRT’s C151A series. In May 2009, Singapore’s Land Transport Authority awarded the manufacturing contract of the C151A trains to a consortium consisting of Japanese company Kawasaki Heavy Industries Rolling Stock Company (Kawasaki Heavy Industries), its Singapore subsidiary, and CSR Sifang. 22 trains were ordered, totalling S$368 million, equivalent to approximately HK$2.1 billion. Singapore later ordered an extra 13 trains of the same series in 2011. From May 2011 to 2014, 35 trains were shipped to Singapore and put into service.
Full article at https://www.hongkongfp.com/2016/07/...retly-recalls-35-trains-singapore-due-cracks/
