LTA awards S$639.5m contract for train testing centre to S Korea's GS Engineering

THE Land Transport Authority (LTA) has awarded a S$639.5 million contract for the design and construction of an integrated train testing centre (ITTC) to South Korea-based GS Engineering and Construction.

The centre will perform integrated systems testing for new and existing MRT lines, which can be done round the clock to minimise the impact on passenger services.

This frees up limited engineering hours on existing MRT lines for other activities such as maintenance and renewal works, LTA said on Friday.

The ITTC will be located at the former Raffles Country Club site and occupy about 50 hectares of land.

When completed, it will "be the cornerstone of Singapore's strategy to sustain rail reliability and deepen core rail engineering capabilities", the statutory board said.

The ITTC will house an operations control centre, testing equipment and about 11 kilometres of test tracks to support endurance, performance integration and high-speed testing for for new trains and supporting systems.

There will also be a rolling stock workshop, stabling tracks and maintenance tracks to support major refurbishment of existing trains.

LTA said the ITTC is modelled after similar testing centres in other countries including Germany, South Korea and Japan.

Over time, the centre will serve as a hub for LTA and the local rail industry to deepen competencies in systems integration and operations as well as in maintenance.

For instance, Singapore's rail industry will be able to evaluate new railway infrastructure, develop proofs-of-concept and conduct research and development into railway technologies, using the ITTC as a testing ground.

The centre will also speed up diagnoses and rectification of faults, as more troubleshooting can now be done locally. Meanwhile, rail workers can get a first-hand understanding of the intricacies of new rail systems before they are deployed.

The ITTC will commence operations in phases, before becoming fully operational by end-2024.

Its first phase will open by end-2022 to receive new trains and systems for Circle Line 6.

GS Engineering, the winning bidder, is currently constructing the East Coast Integrated 4-in-1 Depot.

The construction company's previous projects in Singapore include the Fort Canning and Tampines East MRT stations as well as the Downtown Line's Gali Batu depot.

In South Korea, it has experience with constructing and operating a train testing centre in Osong.