SMRT Trains

SMRT Trains Limited was incorporated as the rail subsidiary arm of the parent company SMRT Corporation, to oversee rail operations brought over from the previously state-owned Mass Rapid Transit Corporation (MRTC).

Mass Rapid Transit Corporation (MRTC)

The Singapore MRT Limited was incorporated on 6 August 1987, and signed the licence and operating agreement (LOA) with MRTC, a government-run corporation till 1997. On 7 November 1987, MRTC began operations on Singapore's first MRT segment, comprising five stations from Yio Chu Kang to Toa Payoh. Following the merger of MRTC into the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on 1 September 1995, a statutory board, MRTC's operational functions were transferred to SMRT Corporation, a private company de jure but remained state-owned through Temasek. On 1998, the light rail operation on the Bukit Panjang LRT line was formed and was called Singapore LRT Limited. On 31 December 2001, both Singapore MRT Limited and Singapore LRT Limited were merged into the present name, SMRT Trains.

Transition to New Rail Financing Framework (NRFF)

On 15 July 2016, SMRT Trains and its subsidiary SMRT Light Rail concluded discussions on the transition of the North–South and East–West lines (NSEWL), the Circle Line (CCL) and the Bukit Panjang LRT (BPLRT) to the New Rail Financing Framework (NRFF). The framework, announced by the Government in 2008 under the Land Transport Master-plan, was introduced as an enhancement to the 1996 Rail Financing Framework, and was first implemented for the Downtown Line (DTL) under SBS Transit in 2011. SMRT transited to a 15-year contract under the new framework from 1 October 2016, with the transfer of ownership of all its rail assets at a net value of $1.06 billion to the government. With that, the MRT network was semi re-nationalised.

Current fleet

The trains are classified as contracts, unlike Japan, which uses "series", and other countries, which use "class".

Current fleet

The trains are classified as contracts unlike Japan which uses "series" other countries which use "class".

Notable incidents on SMRT lines

Major incidents

Clementi rail accident (5 August 1993) – Before the start of service, a maintenance vehicle spilt oil on the tracks between Clementi and Jurong East. The first ten eastbound trains reported braking problems. At 7:50 am, the eleventh eastbound train stopped at Clementi station for two minutes longer than scheduled after using its emergency brakes. It was subsequently struck by the twelfth eastbound train, which failed to stop in time. A total of 156 passengers were injured.

Pasir Ris rail accident (22 March 2016) – Two SMRT staff were killed when a train struck them near Pasir Ris station on the East–West Line. Following investigations, the Ministry of Manpower found that SMRT had failed to comply with safety procedures governing track access for 14 years. Former assistant engineer Lim Say Heng was later sentenced to four weeks' imprisonment after pleading guilty to causing the deaths by failing to observe critical safety protocols.

Joo Koon rail accident (15 November 2017) – Two C151A trains collided at Joo Koon station, injuring 28 people. It was the second train collision in Singapore's MRT history after the 1993 Clementi rail accident.

Dover train derailment (25 September 2024) – A C151 train suffered a bogie derailment near Dover station, causing extensive damage to tracks and signalling equipment between Dover and Jurong East. The incident resulted in 46 rail breaks, damage to three track switches, and a power trip before the train stalled outside Ulu Pandan Depot. Train services between Jurong East and Buona Vista were suspended from 25 September to 30 September 2024, making it one of the longest unplanned MRT service disruptions in Singapore's history. Services resumed on 1 October 2024 under temporary speed restrictions.