So SMRT launched a new train type over the weekend. No big deal (for most of us), right? But to the trainspotting enthusiasts of Singapore, it was 200 percent worth getting up bright and early on Sunday morning to witness the exhilarating launch in person. A small crowd gathered at Ang Mo Kio station, waiting to be the first to board the train — and they came prepared, armed with phones and cameras to document their entire experience.
What’s the fuss about, you ask? Tip-up seats, it seems. Which several netizens made fun of earlier this year when the feature was first announced. The first of 12 new C151C trains debuted on Sunday, and will be followed progressively by the rest till all the additions are in service early next year. Apparently, these trains are the first in the country to have such tip-up seats, which is probably the reason for the excitement.
If you haven’t boarded the new train yet, just know that each car has 12 such seats, and they can be folded up (usually during peak periods) to make way for a bigger standing space so we can all squeeze in like sardines. When the seats are put up, each train will be able to accommodate 100 more commuters.
Funnily enough (or perhaps not so, for the passengers involved), two new trains went into service on Sunday, and one experienced “intermittent signalling faults” that same morning, according to The Straits Times.
That sure makes comments like these below all the more relevant.
