Things You Didn’t Know About Singapore’s MRT System

It is good to note that almost all train stations are equipped with an extensive tactile guidance system for commuters with visual impairment. This system consists of tactile tiles with raised surface of elongated and round studs. The tiles with elongated studs are directional, while those with round studs serve as decision points, allowing the visually handicapped to travel independently on the MRT with confidence.

It takes seemingly forever to travel between Khatib and Yio Chu Kang MRT, 6 minutes to be exact. The space that stands between these two stations is large enough to build a theme park, and Disneyland was previously proposed to be constructed there, along with another station called Lentor. The deal for Disneyland did not go through, but Lentor station will still be built along the upcoming Thomson-East Coast line. For now, riders along the two aforementioned stations can continue to admire the scenery of Lower Seletar Reservoir and pristine vegetation.

MRT trains have evolved over the years from being driven by an operator and having no visual passenger information systems, to being entirely automated with dynamic in-train route display. There are 198 train sets for the North-South and East-West Lines, but not all of them are made equally. The first and third generations of trains were made in Kobe, Japan by Kawasaki Heavy Industries; the second generation was constructed in Vienna, Austria by Siemens; the fourth and fifth generations were built in China by CSR Qingdao Sifang. They sport different designs and material, for instance, the oldest set from Japan has an aluminium finish whereas the Austrian set boasts a scratch-resistant acrylic finish. Some of the trains on the North-East Line and Circle Line are made in France by Alstom, whereas others along the same routes are made in Shanghai.