TENG X SMRT Train Chimes

The TENG Company collaborated with SMRT in revolutionising the commuting experience through the research and development of chimes that are played at platforms and in trains.

Researched and produced together with visually handicapped individuals, these chimes signal the arrival and departure of trains, enhancing the safety of daily commutes for commuters who rely on their auditory senses.

Taking inspiration from Singapore’s multicultural heritage, the chimes were composed or arranged from these three sources: the Chinese Children’s ditty San Lun Che (The Trishaw), the Malay folk song Chan Mali Chan and Singai Naadu, the Tamil national day work composed and arranged by Shabir Sulthan.

Each melody corresponds to a different train line, allowing commuters to identify and differentiate between the various lines. This initiative reflects TENG’s commitment to creating a more inclusive public transport system in Singapore.

A summary of the creative and research process is detailed below:

1. Train Chimes: a) Help the disabled and visually handicapped commute better by giving them aural cues; b) Are a form of communication for people who do not read or are not fluent in any of Singapore’s national languages; c) Have the ability to move people quickly; d) Allow commuters to tell between different lines ; e) Build a sonic identity for a society

2. Research in Japan found that the optimum chime length is around 7 seconds - and TENG’s version for SMRT was modelled after their research

3. The chimes are all in written in speed crochet= 100, or its halftime in 50. This speed was chosen so as to mimic a faster stride while walking, and to help move people quickly

4. To foster a stronger multiracial identity, three tunes were chosen as inspiration for the station chimes that are played on the platform. The pieces were chosen to reflect Singapore’s multiracial identity and are used to distinguish the various different lines (North/South, Circle and East/West respectively)

5. Research was done qualitatively with visually handicapped individuals from different races, whose input helped shape the chimes.

6. Quantitative research was done after on 80 university students from SIM Global Education, Singapore Institute of Management-University at Buffalo, Singapore. The students were polled as to which chimes out of the various prototypes that were created were the most favourable to use.

7. TENG’s research found that the visually impaired look out for the extremity of sound - Our chimes create this extremity by choosing to put a brighter sound for trains going in one direction and a mellower sound for trains going in converse direction. The jingles were created in the same key and in harmony and were designed to be able to be played simultaneously should the need arise.