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Hitachi Small-Type Monorail (Sentosa Express)

The Hitachi Small-Type Monorail (Sentosa Express) trains are the first to use Hitachi's straddle-type small monorail in Singapore.

7 trains of two cars operate on the 4-station Sentosa Express, which opened on 15 January 2007.

These trains replace the 23-year-old Sentosa Monorail system that closed in March 2005.

Developed in Japan, Hitachi's straddle-type small monorail system is a small, standard and cost-effective solution to the transportation needs of small to medium-sized cities.

The straddle-type monorail utilises small and lightweight vehicles capable of greater passenger-carrying capacity and produces low noise levels during operations.

It also has a slim guideway structure for reduced load impact and better manoeuvrability, resulting in lower construction costs due to the minimal space requirements for the train depot and stations.

Operating on Hitachi's Wireless Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC) signalling system since 2017, the trains are capable of driverless train operations with a train attendant on board.

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At a Glance

Hitachi Small-Type Monorail (Sentosa Express)

Sentosa Express

Built 2005 - 2006, 2009, 2017

7 trains of 2 cars each

History

The contract to develop the new Sentosa Express monorail system to replace the 23-year-old Sentosa Monorail that closed on 16 March 2005 was awarded by the Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) to Hitachi Asia Ltd. on 21 June 2002.

The 2.1-kilometre long system comprising four stations opened on 15 January 2007 with four running trains.

An additional two trains were subsequently added to the Sentosa Express on 1 December 2009 to cope with the increased ridership on the system.

Signalling System Upgrade

The SDC awarded the contract to Hitachi Asia Ltd. for the capability enhancement of the Sentosa Express on 19 November 2014.

It includes upgrading the line to a new wireless CBTC signalling system and the provision of an additional two-car trainset.

The enhancement enables the line to cater to more passengers and better serve Sentosa Island's increasing number of visitors.

The new CBTC signalling system uses wireless communication to transmit information on trains' positions and speeds, allowing trains to run closely and safely.

This significantly reduces the interval between trains, cutting travel times for passengers and allowing the addition of another train for greater capacity.

The new CBTC signalling system also includes an Automatic Train Operation (ATO) function, allowing the trains to be fully automated.

This relieves the train captains of manual train operation, allowing them to take on other tasks such as managing safety and security on the train.

Since November 2017, the Sentosa Express has switched over to the new signalling system, and the additional train entered passenger service on 24 November 2017.