Bus interchange and MRT station: Safti City unveils new training grounds for SAF soldiers

"It's the closest we can get to experiencing the conditions of actual warfare," said Corporal (CPL) Dhinesh Raj Jayaprakasam, one of over 3,000 military personnel who have passed through the gates of Safti City since it opened for training last October.

CPL Dhinesh Raj was speaking to the media on the sidelines of the phase one launch of Safti City which is now equipped with realistic infrastructure for training including an integrated transport hub with an MRT station, a bus interchange as well as drainage systems.

Safti City is a military compound located along Old Choa Chu Kang Road.

This 23-year-old NSF shared on Thursday (March 13) that his experience so far has been fruitful, explaining that he had trained in a different area which wasn't as realistic.

"It really forces us to follow our drills and all of that, so it was a good experience for us," he added.

Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen officially launched phase one of Safti City on Wednesday (March 19) after touring the compound and viewing multiple exhibitions.

Minister Ng described Safti City as a "physical manifestation" of the Singapore Armed Forces' (SAF) "commitment of giving realism to our soldiers so that they are prepared". 

"The physicality of this facility brings focus and brings to bear the problems (soldiers) would encounter," he said. "We don't want to send in our troops untrained and unfamiliar, and this is the closest that we can get."

On Safti City, he said: "I've not seen anything like it anywhere else in the world... to my knowledge, this is the most advanced in the world."

Sneak peek

When AsiaOne visited Safti City last Thursday, we got a sneak peek at these features — in particular, the MRT station within the transport hub truly which was as real as it gets.

Entering the station, we were greeted with the familiar sight of a signboard indicating the name of the station — Poyan, the eighth station along a non-existent MRT line. Mindef said it chose this name so that it won't overlap with the names of existing lines. 

Members of the media had to enter the MRT station through gantries situated right next to a control room, much like any other station, and walk down a cement staircase simulating an escalator, complete with steps of varying heights.

The station also features a real MRT train with four carriages, which was provided to Safti City by the Land Transport Authority after it was decommissioned in 2023.

Safti City received three trains, consisting 11 carriages in total in December last year. These carriages used to ply the North-South and East-West lines, according to the Singapore Armed Forces.

While the trains cannot be moved, they can be powered up with lights and ventilation, and the doors can also be opened and closed to train soldiers on forced entry.

The platform is also a hybrid between the outdoor train stations you would see along the East-West line and the indoor, underground ones seen along Downtown line, maximising the training value of the transport hub in Safti City.

Greater challenge in Safti City

Speaking with AsiaOne, Lieutenant-Colonel (LTC) Darius Kwa, the head of the training capability development branch, explained the need for a realistic transport hub simulation in Safti City.

"We do training in actual MRT stations as well, it's just that because they are public amenities, training causes quite a lot of disruption," LTC Kwa said.

"Which is why we brought these decommissioned trains into this dedicated facility for us to do training without causing a disruption to the general public."

LTC Kwa added that soldiers from 5SIR gave feedback that they were impressed with the complexity of buildings in Safti City.

5SIR refers to the fifth battalion of the Singapore Infantry Regiment — nicknamed 'Stingrays' — which also operate under the motto of "Silent, deadly, swift".

The terrain of high-rise buildings and sophisticated road networks made navigation and movement a challenge for them, especially with simulated threats around every window and corner.

"So they have that upscaled challenge when they come to train in Safti City, which is something that is not available (in any other training facility)," he said.

Smart technology sensors

Aside from its infrastructure, Safti City also utilises smart technology with about 11,000 sensors deployed in buildings to track soldiers within the City.

Soldiers equipped with the laser-based Tactical Engagement System (TES) can also interact with the environment — 'shooting' a building or cover will trigger mechanisms to simulate damage to the structure, for instance.

Battlefield effect simulators also provide smoke, sounds and shockwave impacts that enhance the level of training.

Data gathered from the usage of smart technology in training can then be used to improve the troops' performances.

Capitalising on this data is platoon trainer Captain (CPT) Dilys Choo, who told AsiaOne that her troops have been very impressed by the magnitude of the city.

"(The troops) finally get to train in a location that actually mirrors how real life looks like when they're outside in shopping malls or buildings… they know that their training is matching how the world has been developing."

She added: "I definitely hope that my troopers will gain more tactical sense, improve their (foundations) and pick up skills to help survive in complex urban operation environments in the future."

Safti derives its name from the former Singapore Armed Forces Training Institute that was established in 1966 at Pasir Laba Camp.

Retaining the term Safti reflects the close links with the older version.

khooyihang@asiaone.com

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