Bishan Depot

Bishan Depot
碧山车厂
Location
Location 300 Bishan Road, Singapore 579828
Coordinates 1°21′19.03″N 103°51′14.43″E / 1.3552861°N 103.8540083°E / 1.3552861; 103.8540083
Characteristics
Owner(s) Land Transport Authority
Operator(s) SMRT Corporation
Type At-grade
Roads Ang Mo Kio Ave 1, Bishan Road
Rolling stock C151, C651, C751B, C151A, C151B (future), C151C (Future)
Routes served North South Line
History
Opened 1987

Bishan Depot (Chinese: 碧山车厂) is a depot located on the Mass Rapid Transit in Bishan, Singapore. It was completed in 1987 by American architect Vikas M. Gore and the 12,000 square metres maintenance area at cost of S$300 million.

The depot comprises a storage yard with a capacity of 59 trains and has an area of 300,000 m². The depot also houses a central maintenance facility with train overhaul facilities for trains on the North South Line and East West Line operated by SMRT. It also acts as a training centre for newly recruited staff, and is where the faregate operation department is located. The rolling stock workshop and Tracks 10–12 are where various programmes such as refurbishment of the C151 sets (from 2006 to 2008 and from 2010 to 2013) and upgrading the signaling system takes place. Only 5 trains can undergo installation works during each 3 to 18-week period. All C151s and C751Bs are expected to have the new signaling system before the C651s are refurbished. Also, the first new C151B trains were delivered to the depot.

The depot is located between Ang Mo Kio station and Bishan station and has 3 reception tracks: 2 tracks northbound towards Ang Mo Kio station and 1 track southbound towards Bishan station.

SMRT Cram Jam!

On 11 February 2007, SMRT Organized the SMRT Cram Jam! cum Learning Journey and Charity Bazaar to raise funds for the SMRT Silver Tribute Fund. The Cram Jam took place in the morning seeking an entry into the Singapore Book of Records by cramming people inside a standard Kawasaki C151 car (car used: 2027), a Mercedes O405G Hispano Habit bus (bus registered: TIB1202K) and a Ssangyong Rodius/Stavic MPV cab. The Singapore Police Force crammed 550 officers inside the train car, 235 staff from SMRT were crammed inside the bus and an amazing 44 Girl Guides Singapore cadets crammed themselves into the cab. Games, carnival food and a 90-minute tour around the Bishan Depot were organised.

Incidents

A C751B MRT train was vandalised in an apparent security breach at Bishan Depot on 17 August 2011. The train was then put into service before the vandalism was discovered. The Land Transport Authority subsequently fined SMRT S$200,000 for failing to detect, in a timely manner, the graffiti on the train. On 15 July 2016, local and Australian media reported that between April and July 2015, two Americans Jim Harper and Danielle Bremner, posted a series of vandalism videos online under the pseudonyms Utah and Ether, with one video showing them committing the act at Bishan depot. Harper was arrested and jailed 6-months in May in Melbourne, Australia, while his partner is on the run.[1]

Another incident of a MRT train being vandalized happened on a C151A set on 5 May 2014. Police reports were made in the early hours of the morning when trains were being dispatched from the depot.[2]

A third case of vandalism took place on 8 November 2014 when two Germans, Andreas Von Knorre and Elton Hinz, spraypainted a cabin on a C151 train after breaking in to the depot. They were each sentenced to nine months jail and given three strokes of the cane as per the Vandalism Act.[3]

References

  1. ↑ "Video points to US duo as culprits behind vandalism at SMRT's Bishan Depot in 2011". Straits Times. 2016-07-15.
  2. ↑ "Train at Bishan depot vandalised; police investigating". Straits Times. 2014-05-10.
  3. ↑ "Germans who vandalised MRT train get 9 months' jail, 3 strokes". Todayonline. 2016-03-06.
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