SMRT awards Otis Singapore S$47.3m contract to upgrade escalators

TRANSPORT operator SMRT Corp has awarded Otis Elevator Co (S) Pte Ltd a S$47.3 million contract to upgrade the escalators along the North-South and East-West rail lines.

Under the agreement, Otis Singapore - a unit of New York-listed United Technologies Corp - will refurbish and modernise 233 escalators at 42 train stations along the NSEW lines from the third quarter of 2016. Completion is targeted in 2021.

"When completed, all 233 escalators will be upgraded with higher efficiency machines as well as new energy-saving controllers. These features allow the escalators to operate at different speeds and better cater to passenger traffic during different periods of the day," Otis said in a release on Wednesday.