MRT train hotel offers rooms for rest and work

It’s also a living museum for a train car that once served Singapore’s Green Line.

A co-living hotel repurposed from a decommissioned metro train has arrived in Singapore and is set to open its doors in the second half.

Train Pod @ one-north offers eight compact rooms, each about 7.5 square meters, featuring private bathrooms and Murphy bunk beds that fold neatly into the wall, letting guests convert the sleeping area into a functional workspace.

There’s a premier room at the front of the train car that features the original driver’s seat, giving guests a rare chance to play conductor.

Seah Liang Chiang, founder of Tiny Pod, the company behind Train Pod, noted that while much of the train’s interior had to be removed to meet structural and fire safety rules, original elements such as the train walls and decals had been preserved.

The hotel also serves as a “living museum” for a train car that no longer runs on the tracks and once served Singapore’s Green Line for 30 years. The rooms are named after Green Line stations, including Jurong East and Raffles Place.

“When you go to the train station, you don’t get to see the whole train,” he told Singapore Business Review. [With Train Pod], you can see the entire train, including the bogie. You get to see the wheels, you get to see the compartments. It's like seeing the train in its entirety, up close.”

“Another interesting fact is that we run a video of the train ride from the driver’s perspective, and guests can watch it inside the rooms. It gives you a sense of what it’s like to sit in the driver’s compartment as the train moves forward,” he said via Zoom.

Train Pod is an extension of the company’s pop-up shipping container hotels in Singapore, one of which is also at JTC LaunchPad, a state-backed innovation hub at the One-North subzone in Queenstown.

Whilst Train Pod was built using an old train, it is high-tech, and Tiny Pod partnered with two startups under JTC Launchpad to automate its processes.

Yap Eai-Sy, director for new estates business development and marketing division at JTC,  said TrainPod and LaunchPad are aligned since both are inspired by adaptive reuse.

“Just as LaunchPad transforms former industrial buildings into a startup hub, Train Pod reimagines a decommissioned train carriage as sustainable accommodation and turns it into a reality,” she said.

One of Tiny Pod’s partners is hotel tech provider Vouch, which helped fully automate its check-in process and offer a digital concierge.

When checking in, guests are guided to use a mobile phone at the front desk, where they key in their booking details. The system then uses facial recognition to confirm their identity. Once verified, they’re prompted to encode their key card before heading to their room.

Inside each room, guests scan a QR (quick response) code to access the digital concierge for requests like dining recommendations, extra towels, or the Wi-Fi password. The system operates 24/7 and offers an option to speak to a human if needed.

Just outside the rooms is a spacious deck where guests can hang out or eat. The area is stocked with vending machines that offer food and drinks.

“You can grab a frozen meal, follow the microwave instructions we provide, and enjoy it right there,” Seah said. “It’s all set up just outside the hotel.”

Train Pod’s common area was opened to the public on 11 April during its launch, as it awaits its hotel license. Its public spaces are monitored by Ailytics’ AI-powered solution Ailyssa, which detects security risks such as crowding, smoke, and fire, Seah said.

The co-living hotel offers both daily stays like a traditional hotel, and monthly stays similar to other co-living spaces.

Seah said daily rates are $80 to $100 on weekdays and $100 to $120 on weekends. Monthly stays cost $2,000 to $3,000.

He expects demand from business travelers, young families, and guests celebrating special occasions, drawing from Tiny Pod’s experience with its shipping container hotels.