Overview

Since 1987 Singapore Mass Rapid Transit (SMRT) has been transporting millions of passengers per year. In fact, just in the first 10 months of 2016 over 750 million travelers have used this railway system. The North-South and East-West lines (NSEWL) are the oldest, longest and most heavily traveled routes forming the backbone of Singapore’s transit system. However, a few years ago SMRT decided an upgrade was needed; therefore, a complex set of engineering projects were put in place to modernize the system from its 1987 beginnings.

The renewal of the NSEWL is the largest modernization project on a “live” MRT system anywhere in the world. The updated and renewed rail system will allow SMRT to run more trains, increase passenger capacity, and Millions of Commuters Stay Connected Everyday serve travelers better. The passengers will not only be served better with faster connections across the railway network, but also with enhanced mobile communications. Powerful cellular connectivity would now be experienced by commuters waiting on underground platforms as well as while traveling on the train through tunnels and other types of topography.

The overall mission was to serve passengers better; therefore, the JMA DAS (distributed antenna system) from global wireless communications leader, JMA Wireless, was selected to ensure robust connectivity on underground platforms and throughout miles of train tunnels.