OREANDA-NEWS. Hitachi, Ltd. today announced that it has secured a SGD 30million (2.7billion yen) contract with Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) through Hitachi Asia Ltd. to enhance the capability of the Sentosa Express light rail system, with a new Wireless Signaling System (CBTC) and another train set (comprising two carriages). The enhancement will enable the Sentosa Express to cater to more passengers and better serve an increasing number of visitors entering the popular island resort located on the southern end of Singapore.

This CBTC system, which is a signaling system for urban transportation such as the monorail, will use wireless communication to transmit information on trains' positions and speeds so that the distance between trains can be closer, yet safe and constant. This significantly reduces the time intervals between trains, shaving off travel time for guests. The improvement on train efficiency will also allow the addition of another two-carriage train for greater capacity.

In addition, the enhancement will have an Automatic Train Operations (ATO) function, which means that the computer system will be able to fully control the train. This will relieve the train captains of manual train operation, and allow them to take on other functions such as managing safety and security on the train.

Sentosa, Asia's leading leisure destination that was recently rebranded as a State of Fun, attracted more than 18m local visitors and tourists last year. The 500-hectare island resort is home to an exciting array of themed attractions, resort accommodations, beaches, F&B outlets and more. One of the key modes of transport from mainland Singapore onto the island is via the Sentosa Express.

The Sentosa Express provides convenient access from VivoCity right through to Sentosa's popular beaches, with stops along the way that allow visitors to drop off at Resorts World Sentosa and Imbiah, where popular attractions such as the Sentosa Merlion, 4D AdventureLand and newly-opened Madame Tussauds Singapore are located. When the Sentosa Express was first launched in 2007, Hitachi provided six train sets (comprising 12 carriages), signaling and power supply, operating systems and track switches, systems design and systems integration.

Hitachi's CBTC system has achieved international recognition from the European Certification Agency. Hitachi was awarded "Safety Integrity Level 4" for reliability, availability, maintainability and safety - the highest safety level attainable, and the first Japanese company to have received this certification. This technology has also been applied to the Chongqing rail transit in 2009 and the system will also be adopted on Line 1, Vietnam's first urban railway in Ho Chi Minh City. Hitachi will continue to strengthen its business in railway signaling markets around the world, thereby expanding its railway systems business on a global scale.