New train testing centre to be built at former Raffles Country Club site in Tuas
24 April, 2019
A new integrated train testing centre (ITTC) will soon be built at the former Raffles Country Club site to test rail systems around the clock without disrupting passenger services on the main lines.
Taking up a space of 50 ha, the centre is expected "to enhance rail reliability, while freeing up limited engineering hours and reducing the need for line closures", said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Wednesday (Apr 24).
Equipped to test trains and other core railways systems such as electrical, mechanical and signalling systems, the centre is similar to facilities in countries like Germany, Korea and Japan, said LTA.
The ITTC would also act as a hub for LTA and the local rail industry "to develop deeper operations and maintenance competencies and achieve engineering excellence," said the authority in the media release.
For example, rail workers can attend training where they will have a first-hand understanding of the intricacies of new rail systems before they are deployed.
The centre, with its rolling stock facility, will be able to carry out mid-life training refurbishment projects, said LTA.
It will also serve as a testing ground for the rail industry to evaluate new railway infrastructure, develop proofs-of-concept, as well as conduct research and development into railway technologies.
CONSTRUCTION TO START MID-2020
Construction of the centre is expected to start mid-2020, and the centre will start receiving trains for Circle Line 6 by the end-2022.
LTA's deputy chief executive Mr Chua Chong Kheng said the ITTC would allow "for robust testing of our trains and integrated systems before they are deployed on operational lines".
"This approach frees up precious engineering hours for other activities, such as railway maintenance, and reduces the need for future early closures and late openings," he said.
"In addition, LTA will be able to speed up the diagnosis and rectification of faults with the ITTC, as troubleshooting can now be done locally.”
LTA said it will call a contract to design and build the centre over the next few months.
"This will comprise an endurance loop test track, a performance and integration loop test track, a straight high-speed test track and other supporting track facilities."
It added that facilities such as offices, an operations control centre, a maintenance workshop and a refurbishment workshop will also be included in the scope of work.
In January 2017, the Government announced that it would acquire the Raffles Country Club site for the Kuala Lumpur-Singapore High-Speed Rail project. The rail project has since been postponed until end-May 2020.
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