SINGAPORE: Land Transport Authority has awarded GS Engineering & Construction Corp a S$639·5m contract to design and build an Integrated Train Testing Centre. LTA said this would be the first of its kind in Southeast Asia, and ‘the cornerstone of Singapore’s strategy to sustain rail reliability and deepen core rail engineering capabilities’.
The ITTC at the 50 ha former Raffles Country Club site will have 11 km of test tracks to support endurance testing and integration of rolling stock and supporting systems, as well as an operations control centre, a rolling stock workshop and stabling and maintenance tracks.
Far more extensive than the short test tracks now available at some depots, the ITTC is modelled on similar facilities in Germany, South Korea and Japan. It will be able to operate around the clock, minimising the impact of testing on passenger services and freeing up limited engineering hours on the metro network for maintenance and renewals. It will speed up fault diagnostics and rectification, with more troubleshooting done locally. Staff will be able to gain first-hand understanding of the intricacies of new technologies before they are rolled out.
The facility will also serve as a hub for LTA and the local rail industry to deepen systems integration, operations and maintenance competencies, with suppliers being able to conduct research and development using the ITTC as a testing ground.
Announcing the contract on April 17, LTA said the first phase of the ITTC was scheduled to open by the end of 2022, ready to receive new trains and systems for Circle Line 6. The centre is due to be fully operational by the end of 2024.
South Korean company GS Engineering & Construction has experience of depot and station construction in Singapore, and of building and operating a train testing centre at Osong in South Korea.
