Singapore's Land Transport Authority awarded a contract on Monday to supply 44 six-car trains for its Cross Island Line (CRL) to a consortium of CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co and its wholly-owned subsidiary in Singapore.

It is the first whole-life cycle project by a Chinese rail transit company in Singapore, CRRC said.

The contract includes an option to procure up to 11 additional trains, as well as an option for providing long-term service support. The new fleet of fully automated CRL trains will be wholly designed and manufactured by CRRC Qingdao Sifang, the company said.

The trains are expected to be delivered in a steady stream from 2027, in time for the launch of Phase 1 of cross-island train operations in 2030, it added.

According to CRRC Qingdao Sifang, the new trains will be powered by a 1500V DC overhead conductor rail system, which will increase energy efficiency over a typical 750V DC third rail system.

To enhance operations and maintenance, the CRL trains will include condition monitoring and diagnostic systems for early detection of potential equipment problems. Some trains will also be equipped with real-time automated track inspection systems.

Similar to the trains for the Thomson-East Coast Line in Singapore, each car on the new train will have five doors on each side. To improve accessibility within the train, the gangways between CRL train cars will be wider — 1.6 meters, compared with the 1.4 meters of other train lines.

The official website of the Land Transport Authority reported that CRRC Sifang had previously supplied trains for Singapore's North-South-East-West Line and the Thomson-East Coast Line through a consortium formed with Kawasaki Railcar Manufacturing.

CRRC Sifang also has an established track record internationally, having supplied trains to Beijing, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Chicago and Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The authority said the CRL is Singapore's eighth line. It will serve existing and future developments in the eastern, northeastern and western corridors, linking major hubs such as the Jurong Lake District, Punggol Digital District and Changi region.

Nearly half of the CRL stations will share interchanges with other rail lines, making it easier and more convenient for commuters to travel across the railway network, the authority added.