The Government of Singapore will launch a new five-year research and development programme to advance automation across its mass rapid transit (MRT) network, with a focus on highly automated depot operations, AI-assisted predictive maintenance, and drone-based infrastructure inspections. The initiative, announced under the Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2030 (RIE2030) framework, was discussed in Parliament on July 7, 2026. The programme is intended to evaluate next-generation autonomous rail technologies and highly automated depots, although no specific MRT depots or implementation timeline have yet been identified.
The rail research programme will examine the use of artificial intelligence, sensors, digital twins, and drones to automate maintenance activities and improve asset management. Proposed applications include automated train inspections, service preparation, predictive fault detection, and condition-based maintenance using real-time asset monitoring. Smart sensors and drones are already being deployed for routine inspections of rail and road infrastructure, enabling condition data to be collected without requiring personnel to access difficult or hazardous locations. The initiative aims to improve service reliability and reduce recovery times following network disruptions.
The programme forms part of Singapore’s broader SGD800 million (approximately EUR542 million) investment in transport and connectivity research over the next five years, covering land, air and maritime transport. Around two-thirds of the funding will support autonomy and digital twin technologies across the transport sector rather than rail alone. The initiative also includes workforce development measures, such as industry attachments for students in ITE’s Higher NITEC in Rapid Transit Engineering and increased collaboration between rail operators, research institutes and higher education institutions to prepare workers for roles in automated systems, software, robotics and data analytics.