PUBLISHED ONApril 03, 2026 10:04 AMBYSean LerWith just about four years to go before the first phase of Singapore’s eighth MRT line — the Cross Island Line (CRL) — commences service in 2030, Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow has given the public a preview of the CR151 trains to be used on the line.
He posted the photos of the trains on his Facebook yesterday (April 2).
Siow, who is also Senior Minister of State for Finance, was in China for the annual Singapore-Shandong Business Council meeting, which he co-chaired with Shandong Governor Zhou Naixiang.
A total of 10 agreements covering areas of mutual interest such as trade and connectivity, green economy, and modern services, were inked between Singapore and Shandong companies during the meeting.
The acting minister also met up with Singaporean businesses based in Jinan to understand their current business priorities.
He also took time to visit Qingdao rail depot on Thursday (April 2), to understand their latest rail technologies.
Operated by CRRC, the world's largest supplier of rail transit equipment, the depot is also the birthplace of MRT trains used on the North-South, East-West and Thomson-East Coast MRT lines.
It is also where 44 six-car trains for the CRL will be built at, after the Land Transport Authority announced in June 2023 that it had awarded a consortium, including CRRC Qingdao SIfang, a $589 million contract for the supply of the 44 trains.
Members of the public were last given a look at the train through a mixed reality mock-up at the Singapore Mobility Gallery in 2024.
Similar to the trains for the Thomson-East Coast Line, each car on the new train will have five doors on each side.
They will also have condition monitoring and diagnostic systems for early detection of potential equipment faults.
According to LTA, some trains will also be equipped with an automated track inspection system to monitor the condition of the running rail.
When fully operational, the CRL will be Singapore’s longest fully underground MRT line at more than 50km long.
It will serve existing and future developments in the eastern, western, and northeastern corridors, connecting major hubs such as Jurong Lake District, Punggol Digital District and Changi region.
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