The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has awarded a $639.5 million contract for the design and construction of an Integrated Train Testing Centre (ITTC) to GS Engineering and Construction Corp (GS Engineering). The ITTC is located at the former Raffles Country Club site, occupying approximately 50 hectares.
2 The first of its kind in Southeast Asia, the ITTC is a dedicated facility that will be equipped to perform robust integrated systems testing for new and existing MRT lines. Integrated systems testing can be performed round the clock within ITTC, minimising the impact on passenger services. This is more efficient and frees up limited engineering hours on the existing lines for other activities such as maintenance and renewal works. When completed, the ITTC will be the cornerstone of Singapore’s strategy to sustain rail reliability and deepen core rail engineering capabilities.
3 The ITTC will house an Operations Control Centre, testing equipment and features around 11km of test tracks to support endurance, performance integration, and high-speed testing for new trains and supporting systems. The ITTC is equipped with a rolling stock workshop, stabling tracks and maintenance tracks to support the major refurbishment of existing trains. The design of the ITTC is modelled after similar testing centres in countries like Germany, South Korea and Japan (Refer to Annex for artist’s impressions).
4 Over time, the ITTC will also serve as a hub for LTA and the local rail industry to deepen our competencies in systems integration and operations and in maintenance, and to achieve engineering excellence. For example, the local rail industry will be able to evaluate new railway infrastructure, develop proofs-of-concept, as well as conduct research and development into railway technologies, using the ITTC as a testing ground.
5 The ITTC will also speed up diagnoses and rectification of faults, as more troubleshooting can now be done locally. Meanwhile, rail workers, stand to benefit with first-hand understanding of the intricacies of new rail systems before they are deployed.
6 The facility will commence operations in phases. The first phase of the ITTC will open by end 2022 to receive new trains and systems for Circle Line 6. The ITTC will be fully operational by end 2024.
7 GS Engineering, the winning bidder, is a construction company based in South Korea with an established track record in the design and construction of MRT stations and depots, both in Singapore as well as overseas. The company is currently constructing the East Coast Integrated 4-in-1 Depot. It previously built the Downtown Line’s Gali Batu depot, Fort Canning station and Tampines East station, as well as the Thomson-East Coast Line’s Woodlands station. GS Engineering also has prior experience constructing and operating a train testing centre in Osong, South Korea.
