Bombardier Announces Delivery of First Fully Automated Metro for Singapore Downtown Line

Rail technology leader Bombardier Transportation has successfully delivered the first MOVIA metro train to the Land Transport Authority (LTA) of Singapore.

The delivery is part of the contract awarded by the LTA to Bombardier Transportation for 219 driverless MOVIA metro cars in November 2008. It includes the design, engineering, manufacture, assembly, testing, commissioning and delivery of the driverless metro vehicles consisting of three-car trainsets. The new metro cars are assembled at Bombardier's joint venture facilities in Changchun, China.

Within the upcoming months, Bombardier will progressively supply trains to LTA. The delivered trains will undergo a programme of on-site testing in Singapore before being handed over to the operator as part of the completion of the Singapore Downtown Line (DTL) Stage 1. When fully operational, Bombardier trains will run on the longest driverless underground MRT line in the world, covering 42km.

Kristian Mikkelsen, president of Mainline and Metros, Asia Pacific for Bombardier Transportation, said: "We are confident that our highly experienced team will continue to deliver the trains to the satisfaction of our customer. This delivery represents a key milestone for us and is the result of a great deal of collaboration between LTA and Bombardier."

Bombardier MOVIA metro vehicles help to promote a greener mode of transportation for Singapore through the use of the latest propulsion technology with low energy consumption, optimised performance and vehicles which are up to 90 per cent recyclable.

With the DTL, the connectivity of the existing rail network will be strengthened, facilitating direct travel from the northwestern and eastern corridors of the island to the Central Business District and the Marina Bay. The DTL is projected to see a daily ridership of around 500,000 when in full operation.