Passengers alighting at Outram Park MRT on Dec 19, 2024. A signalling fault on Dec 27 had caused communication between the signalling system and trains to be disrupted. - Photo: ST
SINGAPORE: Three recent MRT disruptions that took place over a span of a week on the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) were unrelated, said transport operator SMRT in a Facebook post on Friday (Jan 3).
A signalling fault on Dec 27 had caused communication between the signalling system and trains to be disrupted, leading to multiple trains stopping intermittently.
The trains then had to be manually driven at 18kmh after system resets, said SMRT.
The fault, which started at 6.30am, had caused a delay of up to 15 minutes. Normal service resumed at 9.06am the same day.
The second incident on Dec 29 involved a train with intermittent brake faults while departing a station.
To keep in line with safety protocols, the train was manually operated at 18kmh.
The fault later cleared on its own, allowing regular train services to resume shortly after a 15-minute delay.
Preliminary findings suggest a possible component fault within the train, said SMRT.
The latest incident on the evening of Jan 2 was caused by a train activating the emergency brake system while approaching Orchard MRT station, leading to manual operation being required.
SMRT had then advised commuters to factor in an extra 10 minutes for their journey between Caldecott and Gardens by the Bay – a span of 12 stations – due to a train fault.
Normal train service resumed at 8pm the same day.
Investigations into the cause of this incident are ongoing.
SMRT added in its post: “Despite these incidents, train services continued operating in both directions. Commuters were advised to plan for an additional 10 to 15 minutes of travel time.” - The Straits Times/ANN
