China claims that its abroad-based railway projects are proceeding well. (Photo : Reuters)
CRRC Sifang Co. Ltd., a subsidiary of the China Railway Rolling Stock Corp., the country's biggest trainmaker, siad that its trains in Singapore are safe after foreign media reported that their metro trains are being shipped back due to various issues, according to a China Daily article.
The report noted that the trains, jointly manufactured and designed by CRRC and Japan's Kawasaki Heavy Industries Ltd., were said to have insufficient battery system and have cracks in structural components.
"CRRC Sifang found some defects in car bodies during routine maintenance checks in Singapore in June 2013," the Qingdao-based subsidiary said in a statement. "It then recalled 26 of them to the factory for repairs. The problem was caused by a defective aluminum alloy. After thorough analysis, the problem was found not to pose a risk to safety."
The company further stated that the first batch of its repaired trains is now back in service and has been running nearly 300,000 kilometers.
It was in 2009 when the Japanese-Chinese joint venture gained its contract from Singapore's Land Transport Authority. The agreement requires them to provide 22 six-car trains for the country's North-South and East-West lines for $$368 million.
In 2012, SMRT Corp. Ltd., Singapore's multimodal public transport operator, ordered another 13 train sets in a bid to improve its metro rail services.
According to Feng Hao, a rail transportation researcher affiliated with the National Development and Reform Commission, "aged rail infrastructure, inappropriate maintenance work and various weather conditions could all cause certain damage to the metro trains."
Feng further suggested that it is high-time for Chinese firms to promote their railway standards abroad, adding that foreign clients should also consider outsourced companies to deliver full-package services, from supplying trains to installing tracks.
Meanwhile, China Railway Corp. Group (CRC), the nation's railway service provider, noted that the country is doing well in terms of exporting railway equipment and railway construction projects.
CRC deputy chief engineer Yang Zhongmin shared that the country's railway sector has already entered markets in various regions such as Europe, North America, Africa and in neighboring Asian nations.
CRC added that other breakthrough projects are being undertaken in different abroad-based projects, including the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway and the rail project in Russia that aims to connect Moscow and Kazan.
