Centre for testing trains, rail systems opens in Tuas

It means less reliance on overseas facilities, more engineering hours for maintenance

- Esther Loi

Trains and rail systems can now be tested in Singapore, with the completion and opening of an $800 million test centre in Tuas.

Opened on March 28, the Singapore Rail Test Centre (SRTC) will allow the transport authorities and rail operators to carry out testing without depending on overseas facilities nor taking up limited engineering hours on the rail network, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA).

With the completion of the second and final phase of construction works, two more test tracks are now ready.

One is a 2.8km performance and integration test track with an S-shaped section, to assess if a train is well integrated with other rail systems. This is done by installing rail systems, including signalling and communication systems, onto the train to see if these can run smoothly, before testing is carried out later on actual rail lines. The S-shaped section is used to test a train's turning capabilities.

The other track is a 3km endurance test track, with a 500m segment that has an uphill gradient of 3 per cent to simulate actual track conditions on operational rail lines here.