Recent Bukit Panjang LRT disruption due to gear failure in faulty train’s wheel assembly
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The incident during the evening peak hour halted LRT service between Bukit Panjang and Choa Chu Kang stations.
ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY
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SINGAPORE - The breakdown of a Bukit Panjang LRT (BPLRT) train on Oct 22 was caused by a gear failure in one of its wheel assemblies, Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat said in Parliament on Nov 11, citing initial findings from ongoing investigations.
The incident, which occurred during the evening peak hour, halted LRT service between Bukit Panjang and Choa Chu Kang stations.
As a result of the gear failure, two wheels on the damaged assembly could not rotate normally, and friction between the rubber tyres and the guideway caused the tyres to deflate, Mr Chee said in response to a question on what caused the breakdown.
This led to a power trip after a bar below the train carriage came into contact with the power rail, damaging it. The power rail supplies power to trains.
A recovery train deployed to move the stalled train back to the BPLRT depot was unsuccessful because of a loss of traction power.
BPLRT operator SMRT ended train services along the affected stretch about 1½ hours earlier than usual to carry out repairs, and service resumed the next morning.
Ms Yeo Wan Ling (Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC) asked Mr Chee whether a “root-cause analysis” of the breakdown on Oct 22 was done to rule out “systemic issues”.
Reiterating that the cause of the incident is still under investigation, Mr Chee said the last time a similar incident affecting the gears of a wheel assembly happened was in 2010.
“That was quite some time ago, and it hasn’t recurred since,” he said, adding that so far, there are no suggestions that “there is something systemic in this particular instance, but we will take a look more closely during the investigations”.
Renewal of BPLRT on track
Mr Chee also gave an update on the upgrading of BPLRT,
The 25-year-old network has been beset with a long history of reliability issues and is in the midst of a multi-year asset renewal programme to improve the reliability of its operations.
Since Sept 28, dual-loop services on the BPLRT have fully resumed on weekends and public holidays. Mr Chee said that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) aims to resume dual-loop services on weekdays “in the coming months”.
Responding to Mr Liang, who had asked for “a clearer timeline (than) ‘coming months’”, Mr Chee said the authorities would do their best to expedite upgrading works in a manner that is safe for workers and passengers.
Of the 19 new third-generation vehicles that are being brought in to replace first-generation ones, four are in service and two are undergoing testing. The remaining 13 will arrive over the next year.
Meanwhile, six out of 13 second-generation vehicles have been upgraded, and the remaining seven will follow over the next 12 months.
The target is for the new and upgraded vehicles to serve passengers by the end of 2025, Mr Chee said.
The power supply system has also been improved. It now has increased capacity, as well as dedicated power supply monitoring and control systems.
The operations control centre is being upgraded, and LTA will also replace the power rails to improve operations and system reliability, Mr Chee said.
To facilitate these works, train services on the BPLRT will end one hour earlier at 10.30pm from Thursday to Sunday, between Nov 14, 2024, and Oct 31, 2025.
Mr Liang asked the minister whether the resumption of dual-loop services and addition of new train cars would improve the stability of the system or pose more risks, and how LTA and SMRT would “prepare for this very critical phase”.
Responding, Mr Chee said the authorities would do their best to ensure that the testing and integration proceed smoothly and according to plan. “And if... we were to experience any disruptions during this period, we will certainly do our best to respond quickly and effectively,” he added.
Mr Chia raised the issue of long waits and crowds during the morning peak period, citing feedback he received from residents. He asked Mr Chee whether the upgrades would have any impact on waiting times and system capacity, particularly at LRT stations such as Senja.
Mr Chee replied that the upgrading of the signalling system, and the introduction of new and upgraded trains, may allow trains to be run more frequently, which would in turn ramp up capacity.
In Parliament, Mr Chee acknowledged that the BPLRT renewal programme – set to be completed in 2026 – “has been a long one”. Thanking passengers for bearing with ongoing works, he said it was necessary to “go through this process to fix the legacy problems and deliver better service for our commuters”.
MKBF still ‘relevant and valid’ reliability target
Mr Chee also disclosed that the mean kilometres between failure (MKBF) for Singapore’s MRT network has improved, from about 1.8 million train-km at the end of September to almost two million train-km as at the end of October. A measure of rail reliability, the MKBF refers to the average distance travelled by trains between delays.
All six MRT lines have regularly achieved the MKBF target of at least one million train-km, and Mr Chee said the authorities would “continue to pay close attention to keeping MKBF above the one million train-km target”.
Leader of the Opposition Pritam Singh (Aljunied GRC) rose to ask whether the Ministry of Transport is considering raising the one million train-km threshold, considering that this was set a number of years ago and that MRT lines regularly hit this target.
Former transport minister Khaw Boon Wan set this as a 2020 target in 2017.
In response, Mr Chee said the target remains “relevant and valid”. The authorities, he added, would have to assess carefully whether to raise it further, because there is a trade-off between this and the costs incurred, which will ultimately have to be borne by either taxpayers or passengers.
“We will study this carefully,” he added.
