SUTRA, abbreviation for Scomi Urban Transit Rail Application, is a

monorail A monorail (from "mono", meaning "one", and " rail") is a railway in which the track consists of a single rail or a beam. Colloquially, the term "monorail" is often used to describe any form of elevated rail or people mover. More accurat ...

electrical multiple unit An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number ...

(EMU) type train system designed by Malaysian rail company Scomi Rail. The design is currently the main product offering of Scomi Rail, which has won several contracts with the design, with the first customer being the Mumbai Monorail project. In 2019 Scomi Rail was placed in receivership and it is no longer selling its monorail system.

Background

In late 2006, Scomi Rail decided to develop its own next generation monorail after gaining experience from the manufacture of the

KL Monorail The KL Monorail Line is one of the operational monorail systems in Malaysia. Operated as part of the RapidKL system by Rapid Rail, a subsidiary of Prasarana Malaysia, it is one of the components of the Klang Valley Integrated Transit System. Th ...

system. Within twelve months after commencing engineering design, on 26 November 2007, the SUTRA was unveiled by the then Malaysian deputy prime minister

Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak Dato' Sri Haji Mohammad Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak ( ms, محمد نجيب بن عبد الرزاق, label= Jawi, script=arab, italic=unset, ; born 23 July 1953) is a Malaysian politician who served as the 6th prime minister of Malays ...

, who described the launch as "a significant milestone". The total investment expenditure spent by Scomi Rail for the SUTRA monorail was about RM35mil including for research, development and factory expansion.

Design

The SUTRA complies with 50 international standards comprising safety, quality assurance, vehicle certification, reliability, availability and maintainability. Compared to the previous design used in the

, the SUTRA has improved features such as a

composite Composite or compositing may refer to: Materials * Composite material, a material that is made from several different substances ** Metal matrix composite, composed of metal and other parts ** Cermet, a composite of ceramic and metallic materials ...

body and interior panel, new

bogie A bogie ( ) (in some senses called a truck in North American English) is a chassis or framework that carries a wheelset, attached to a vehicle—a modular subassembly of wheels and axles. Bogies take various forms in various modes of transp ...

system and structure, mass transit components

drive train A drivetrain (also frequently spelled as drive train or sometimes drive-train) is the group of components that deliver mechanical power from the prime mover to the driven components. In automotive engineering, the drivetrain is the components o ...

, improved propulsion and control system, and regenerative and pneumatic brake system. The SUTRA is also more energy-efficient due to an improved direct-drive propulsion system and lower vehicle weight. The SUTRA also has a smaller turning radius of 50m and can also handle gradients on a slope of up to six degrees. The SUTRA also features couplings for up to eight cars that have a capacity of 1,050 passengers.

General

The SUTRA is a highly customisable design, and is designed to accommodate two to eight cars per set, with capacity ranging from 6,400

pphpd Passengers per hour per direction (p/h/d), passengers per hour in peak direction (pphpd) or corridor capacity is a measure of the route capacity of a rapid transit or public transport system. Definition The corridor capacity in the passenger ...

in the four-car

to 36,000 in the 5/6-car

Line 17 (São Paulo Metro) Line 17 (Gold) ( pt, Linha 17–Ouro) is an under construction monorail project for the São Paulo Metro. The line will have 14 stations, beginning at the São Paulo-Morumbi station and ending at the Jabaquara station, with a branch to Congonha ...

and

Manaus Monorail Manaus Monorail ( pt, Monotrilho de Manaus) is a straddle monorail planned for construction in the Brazilian city of Manaus. In February 2012, the Infrastructure Secretariat of Amazonas signed a contract with a consortium of CR Almedia, Mende ...

. The

monocoque Monocoque ( ), also called structural skin, is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a French term for "single shell". First used for boats, ...

(load-bearing single-shell frame) body structure of the SUTRA is constructed with aluminium extrusion materials. The lightweight structure combined with the aluminium apron structure provides enhanced strength and durability of up to 30 years. The SUTRA's propulsion is provided by an

electric motor An electric motor is an electrical machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a wire winding to generate f ...

with gear reducers which draws power from the 750 V DC power line. The motor of the SUTRA is fitted with a variable-voltage-variable-frequency (VVVF) drive which is fine-tuned for smooth acceleration / deceleration. The VVVF has high torque and duty cycle capabilities, rated at a power of 200 kW. The brake system consists of

electro-pneumatic The electro-pneumatic action is a control system by the mean of air pressure for pipe organs, whereby air pressure, controlled by an electric current and operated by the keys of an organ console, opens and closes valves within wind chests, allowi ...

systems and

regenerative brake Regenerative braking is an energy recovery mechanism that slows down a moving vehicle or object by converting its kinetic energy into a form that can be either used immediately or stored until needed. In this mechanism, the electric traction mo ...

s, providing multiple uses including high integrity emergency brakes, service brakes, security brakes and parking brakes. The SUTRA has an automatic

coupling A coupling is a device used to connect two shafts together at their ends for the purpose of transmitting power. The primary purpose of couplings is to join two pieces of rotating equipment while permitting some degree of misalignment or end mov ...

system that can connect up to eight cars together. The coupling system is also capable of towing another SUTRA during emergency connections and is also designed to absorb impact energy in case of accidents.

Interior

The interior of the SUTRA is customisable, and was designed with the consideration of passenger safety and comfort. It was designed with a minimalist concept with the aim of increased interior space and maximised flow of passengers and minimised obstruction in and around doorways. Hand rails and

stanchion A stanchion () is a sturdy upright fixture that provides support for some other object. It can be a permanent fixture. Types In architecture stanchions are the upright iron bars in windows that pass through the eyes of the saddle bars or horizo ...

s are available to assist safe boarding, seating, standing and alighting assistance, including for persons with disabilities. Other safety features include an emergency door release knob and emergency passenger intercom as well as emergency ventilation windows. The flooring of the SUTRA is slip-resistant and made of

fire-retardant A fire retardant is a substance that is used to slow down or stop the spread of fire or reduce its intensity. This is commonly accomplished by chemical reactions that reduce the flammability of fuels or delay their combustion. Fire retardants m ...

material. Each car has a 40 kW roof mounted air conditioning unit. Passenger information systems include LED texts and television screens in addition to

audio Audio most commonly refers to sound, as it is transmitted in signal form. It may also refer to: Sound *Audio signal, an electrical representation of sound *Audio frequency, a frequency in the audio spectrum * Digital audio, representation of sou ...

announcements. The cabs are equipped with specially designed mass transit seats and two adjacent flippable seats as well as a disabled wheelchair area, which also functions as a standing area when not utilised. Similar to the previous generation Scomi monorails, there are center seats which also function as

covers.

Vehicle management

The vehicle management system (VMS) provides supervised control, monitoring and diagnostic systems for train operators. Train status information is graphically displayed to the operator via the HMI panel. The user-friendly interface display allows the operator to quickly respond and understand all train system status. The train system status and abnormal conditions are categorised and displayed in real time and prioritised in order of critical system hierarchy. As an option, critical data can be logged for further analysis. The train is equipped with

automatic train protection Automatic train protection (ATP) is a type of train protection system which continually checks that the speed of a train is compatible with the permitted speed allowed by signalling, including automatic stop at certain signal aspects. If it i ...

(ATP) system to prevent collisions. The ATP system can be optionally upgraded to an automatic train operation (ATO) system to automate operations of the monorail.

Users

Operational

–

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...

, Malaysia **Quantity: 12 units of 4-car sets on order. Only 6 units delivered. All 6 were taken out of service in May 2017 due to safety reason. **Capacity: 6,400

* Mumbai Monorail -

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...

, India **Quantity: 16 units of 4-car sets **Capacity: 10,000

Contracted

''a contract was signed in 2012 but the project never began construction'' *

–

Manaus Manaus () is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Amazonas. It is the seventh-largest city in Brazil, with an estimated 2020 population of 2,219,580 distributed over a land area of about . Located at the east center of the s ...

, Brazil **Quantity: 10 units of 6-car sets **Capacity: 36,000

. On hold.

Cancelled

–

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaW ...

, Brazil Contract with Scomi terminated for non-performance in 2019, awarding to BYD instead. **Quantity: 24 units of 3-car sets upgradeable to 18 units of 5-car sets **Capacity: 36,000

* Line 18 (São Paulo Metro) –

, Brazil **Quantity: Unconfirmed number of 5-car sets. Line cancelled. **Capacity: 21,000

References

{{Rail transport in Malaysia Mumbai Monorail 750 V DC multiple units Multiple units of Malaysia Electric multiple units of India