The Hindu : Singapore launches driverless train

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jun 21, 2003

International

International

Singapore launches driverless train

SINGAPORE JUNE 20. A fully automated underground commuter train system, billed as the world's first, began carrying passengers in Singapore on Friday.

The new $4.6-billion (Singapore) North-East mass rapid transit line connects several of the city-state's main tourist destinations — including Chinatown, Little India and the Harborfront — to the existing subway system.

Trains on the 20 km line will not have drivers, but customer service representatives will be on board every train for at least the first three months of operation to assist passengers, the line's operator, the Government-linked SBS Transit said in a statement.

Nearly 500 different computer systems communicate with each other to make the trains run on the 16-station line, which connects to the existing metro railway system operated by a separate Government-linked company. Some minor delays were reported by local media during the first day of operation.

``As in any complex system, teething problems can occur.

This will not be a 100 percent perfect system from day one,'' the SBS Transit chief operating officer, Ong Boon Leong, said in a statement.

About 250,000 commuters are expected to travel on new line each day and SBS Transit expects to break even within two to three years.

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