Singapore has shipped 26 defective Chinese-made metro trains back to their manufacturer for repair after discovering cracks in the structure linking the car body to the undercarriage, in a blow to China’s ambitions to win export deals for its rail equipment.
Hairline cracks were found in late 2013 following the delivery of new trains by CSR Qingdao Sifang Locomotive, a subsidiary of China’s main state-owned rolling stock company CRRC, Singapore’s ministry of transport said.
Singapore public transit operator SMRT said 26 of the 35 trains delivered by the manufacturer, known as CSR Sifang, had cracks in the structure connecting the car body and the framework for the wheels, known as a bogie.