Testing has begun for the first phase of Singapore’s driverless Downtown Line. Invensys Rail Dimetronic has been testing its unmanned signalling technology at a test track in the city of Changchun in China since September 2011. The line is equipped with Dimetronic’s Sirius CBTC technology and Rail 9000 ATS; it will operate in fullyautomatic driverless mode from the outset. Test running of C951 three-car trains, 73 of which are being supplied by China-based Changchun Bombardier Railway Vehicles, will begin by end-March 2013. The initial 4 km section that will include six stations is expected to open in October 2013. The Downtown Line that comprises 34 stations and two depots is expected to transport more than half a million passengers per day. Singapore’s Land Transport Authority awarded a S$228 million contract in December 2008 to Invensys for the purchase of signalling systems for all three stages of the 42 km line. Bombardier has delivered 219 driverless Movia metro cars for the Downtown Line.
