“Once upon a time” is not how our story starts. Instead let’s talk about the Sentosa Express a monorail line connecting Sentosa island to HarbourFront. It replaced the previous Sentosa Monorail.
The Sentosa Express began development in June 2003. Construction was completed in late 2006. This fully elevated line opened on January 15, 2007. The two-way line is 2.1-kilometre per direction.
The Sentosa Development Corporation owns the monorail system. Singapore Mass Rapid Transit operates it. The Sentosa Express can move up to 4,000 passengers per hour per direction.
In June 2002, the Sentosa Development Corporation awarded a contract to Hitachi Asia. The contract was worth S$78 million. This was part of a ten-year redevelopment plan for Sentosa. The Sentosa Express replaced the Sentosa Monorail. The previous monorail was planned for demolition by 2005. The Sentosa Express crosses the sea to interchange with the MRT on the mainland.
The Sentosa Express has three stations on Sentosa. In total it has four stations. Construction of the system began in June 2003. It took three and a half years. It cost S$140 million. Two stations on the island opened with the line on January 15, 2007 Imbiah and Beach stations. VivoCity station also opened on the mainland. It had been integrated into the new VivoCity shopping mall.
The third station was planned to open with Resorts World Sentosa. This was the Waterfront station. It was demolished in January 2008 for redevelopment. A spokesman said that the station had been built before plans were finalised. The station opened on February 1, 2010. This was part of a phased opening of the resort complex.
To cater to increased passenger traffic, SDC awarded an upgrading contract to Hitachi Asia in November 2014. The signalling system was upgraded. Two additional train cars were provided. The system was operational by the end of 2017.
The first and last train timings are 07:00 and 00:00 hours. This applies to both VivoCity and Beach stations. Trains run every three minutes. The entire route takes eight minutes. Travel within Sentosa and back to the mainland is free. Travel from the mainland to Sentosa is charged.
There are four stations on the Sentosa Express VivoCity, Resorts World, Imbiah, and Beach. VivoCity station is the only one on the mainland. The other stations are on Sentosa. It is the only one with full-height platform screen doors. The other stations on Sentosa island are not air-conditioned. They use half height platform screen doors.
The Sentosa Express uses Hitachi Rail’s small-type, straddle–beam monorail. It has a capacity of about 184 passengers per train. There are seven two-car, 25-metre-long trains. Each has different colours. Five monorails are deployed daily.
The Sentosa Express switched over to the moving block Hitachi wireless CBTC-ATC in November 2017. The new system uses wireless communication. This reduces travel times and allows more trains to run. Train Captains are present to manage safety and security.
So hop on board the Sentosa Express. Enjoy a quick ride through a modern marvel. See how it connects leisure and convenience. It is a testament to Singapore’s innovation.