Decommissioning of C651 trains

Decommissioning of the NSEWL 2nd Generation Trains, the Siemens C651, begun sometime in late 2020.

The first known C651 trainset to be scrapped was trainset 203/204, which was spotted being transported to a scrapyard in Tuas on the wee hours of Sunday, 6 September 2020.

「電車の最後の花道」
昨晩シーメンスC651形電車の廃車搬入(または"廃車回送"w)について、これまで陸運局から公表されていない。
本人もびっくりしました。最初川崎車だけと思うが、シーメンス車まで廃車はいま事実です。
公道、敷地外撮影します。
Photo taken in public area. pic.twitter.com/3yQanENfZ2

— テレンス@Essential Worker (@Tx_2171F) September 5, 2020

These second-generation trains first entered service in 1995 on the North-South Line (NSL) and East-West Line (EWL). 19 such trainsets were manufactured from 1993 to 1994 by Siemens AG in Vienna, Austria, with a design lifespan of 30 years.

Mid-life upgrading works were slated for the C651 trains, and was first carried out on Train Sets 217/218 and 227/228 between 2015 and 2018. However, leading up the transition to the New Rail Financing Framework (NRFF) in August 2016, the LTA would eventually make decisions on building-up, replacement and upgrading of assets. Coupled with changes in SMRT Corporation’s management structure, the mid-life upgrading of C651 trains was abruptly discontinued, and planned refurbishments to the C151 were thus precluded.

While LTA announced its intention to replace the first-generation C151 trains with brand-new ones in September 2016, no further announcements were made with regards to the replacement of the second-generation C651 trains. In September 2020, R151 trains manufactured by Bombardier were confirmed as the replacement for these trains.