SINGAPORE - With upgrading works more than halfway done, the reliability of Singapore's two oldest MRT lines continues to show improvement, said Minister for Transport Khaw Boon Wan on Friday (July 5).

The North-South Line now clocks 1,435,000km between delays, putting it on a par with top performing rail systems such as Hong Kong's MTR and the Taipei metro, he noted during a visit to the Kranji MRT station.

Meanwhile, the East-West Line has hit 693,000km between delays, up from 408,000km last year.

Three major upgrading works for the two lines - on the sleepers, third rail and signalling system - have been completed.

Meanwhile, renewal of the power system is about 25 per cent complete, noted Mr Khaw, who is also Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure.

As part of the power system renewal works, the replacement of the touch voltage protection system with voltage limiting devices - which limits the impact of power faults - was completed last month.

The renewal of the North-South and East-West lines core systems will be completed by 2023, said Mr Khaw, adding that there is "no end point" to ensuring the reliability of the rail network.

"Delivering a reliable train service is a continuous undertaking. It is part and parcel of running a train service, day in, day out," he said.

"We have to focus on it, knowing that any minor omission or careless mistake can bring the train service to a stop. "