Stomper waits overnight at Tuas Link MRT station to ride new train model with 100 other railfans

More than 100 people showed up at Tuas Link MRT station early Sunday morning (June 4) to ride the new SMRT Alstom Movia R151 train car model on the maiden journey of its first day of service.

Stomper Wei Sien was one of them. He had been there since 9pm the night before and shared videos of that special trip.

When the train arrived at the station, the mostly male crowd chanted "open, open, open" and cheered when the train doors opened.

The Stomper was also caught on camera taking a selfie with the arriving train by a Straits Times photographer.

Unveiled by Transport Minister S. Isawaran on June 1, the new trains have new features that make rides more comfortable and convenient for commuters.

These include more cabin spaces for strollers and wheelchairs, perched seats to maximise space, and larger, panoramic windows for a more scenic journey.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) purchased 66 of the 106 new trains in a $1.2 billion deal in 2018 to replace the first-generation North-South and East-West Lines' Kawasaki trains, which have been operating since the two MRT lines opened in 1987.

LTA bought another 40 trains in 2020 for $337.8 million to replace the second-generation Siemens and third-generation Kawasaki-Nippon Sharyo trains.

The remaining seventh-generation trains will be put in service on the North-South and East-West Lines progressively till end-2026.