SINGAPORE, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Friday that it had received the first batch of 91 Chinese-made trains for the city-state's new mass rapid transit (MRT) line that will enter into public service for the first stage in 2019.
According to Straits Times, the trains, each with four cars, were made in China by a consortium formed by Chinese company CSR Qingdao Sifang Co. and Japanese firm Kawasaki Heavy Industries.
The consortium won a contract worth 749 million Singapore dollars (about 558.6 million U.S. dollars) in 2014 to supply the trains.
The LTA said these fully-automated trains are the first in Singapore with five doors on the side of each car to facilitate smoother boarding and alighting of passengers. It said that the rest of the trains will be delivered progressively from now until 2022.
The new 43-km MRT line to run with these trains is Thomson-East Coast Line, which will have 31 stations. It is to connect commuters living in Singapore's eastern region to the city center, and will be fully operational in 2024.
