Moving people, connecting communities: UITP and SMRT Trains reunite the rail sector for the 99th metro assembly in Singapore

UITP and SMRT Trains will bring together metro operators from all over the world for the 99^th edition of the UITP Metro Assembly – the first in-person gathering of its kind in three years.

Hosted in Singapore, the Assembly will be held in conjunction with the 46^th UITP Metro Committee meeting and the 19^th UITP Asia-Pacific Urban Rail Platform (31 Oct to 1 Nov 2022).

The UITP Metro Division is made up of over 100 metro operators, with the Assembly bringing together the top representatives of all UITP Metro Division members – giving them the unique opportunity to share their developments and consider solutions at the highest level possible.

Hosting a preview of upcoming working topics, attendees can contribute to shaping the future of the Division, with this year’s edition featuring the thematic session “Inclusive Metros: Serving More Customers, And Better”.

Mr Brieuc De Meeus, UITP Metro Division Chair & CEO of STIB, Brussels, said: “Over 90 metro operators from around the world are UITP members. Every year, at the Metro Assembly, CEOs and other top-level executives from these companies come together to discuss the work and orientations of UITP’s thematic expert metro groups and other topics. Exchanges at this level are as important as ever to share knowledge and ideas, helping to develop and strengthen the role that metros play to improve the quality of life in cities as well as economic and environmental sustainability. I am delighted that this first physical edition of the Metro Assembly in three years is held in Singapore and is hosted by SMRT Trains.”

The opening session will include a presentation on SMRT Trains’ achievements and projects by Mr Lam Sheau Kai, President, SMRT Trains. This will be followed by a presentation of the cross-border Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link connecting Singapore and Johor Bahru, Malaysia by Mr Lee Ling Wee, President, Strides International, a business arm of SMRT Corporation Ltd. Chairman of UITP Asia-Pacific Urban Rail Platform (APURP), Mr Shahrin Abdol Salam, Managing Director of STEL Pte Ltd, will lead the subsequent session on APURP.

Delegates will be invited to visit Mandai Depot, the largest rail depot in Singapore, serving the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL), Singapore’s newest MRT line. Key highlights of the visits include SMRT’s digitalisation efforts to improve safety, reliability and productivity:

• Track Access Management System (TAMS) – digitalise and automate track access allocation resulting in savings of 30,000 manhours per year
• Project Overwatch – uses Artificial Intelligence algorithms to detect abnormalities in the train network, reducing manual planning, fault diagnoses and deployments.

Mr Ngien Hoon Ping, Group Chief Executive Officer, SMRT Corporation Ltd, said: “As a part of Singapore’s rail industry and a committed member of UITP, SMRT is honoured to host our global counterparts for the Metro Assembly. We look forward to learning from and sharing experiences with key metro operators around the world, in areas such as rail operations, sustainability, engineering solutions, and transit retail and advertising. We are confident that these dynamic and meaningful discussions will help shape the roles we play as transport operators in the respective communities and countries that we serve.”

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