SINGAPORE - Public transport operator SMRT has started work on the air-conditioning systems of its older LRT train cars after rust was found on air-con filters in a Bukit Panjang LRT train car.
Commuters may notice cooler rides as a result. LRT's operations are not affected as there is no need to ground the trains to carry out the improvement works.
The rust was found during an air-con system check, which is part of regular LRT train maintenance, said SMRT's vice-president for corporate information and communications Patrick Nathan.
This includes cleaning the system condensers and evaporators, replenishing the freon gas which is used for cooling, and checking the temperature.
"Just recently, rust was found on our air-con filters which we traced to the freon tanks," said Mr Nathan. When SMRT replaced the freon tanks on one of the train cars, the air flow and cooling temperature improved.
SMRT is now progressively replacing the freon tanks on all 19 first generation train cars.
This will be completed by the first quarter of 2017.
Apart from replacing the tanks, SMRT is also carrying out "a thorough flushing of the systems" to further improve the performance of the air-con system.
