No abnormalities detected on repaired tracks after major East-West Line disruption: SMRT

SINGAPORE – Visual and ultrasonic inspections of repaired tracks along the East-West Line (EWL) have shown no abnormalities since regular train services resumed after a six-day disruption in September, rail operator SMRT said on Oct 11.

Ultrasonic inspections involve the use of high-frequency waves to check for faults or defects.

On Oct 1,

trains resumed operations

between Buona Vista and Jurong East stations on the EWL. But until Oct 4, they ran under a temporary speed limit of 40kmh over the affected stretch between Dover and Clementi stations in the direction of Jurong East.

The lower speed limit was in place as part of SMRT’s “standard operating procedure following extensive works on the running rails”, the operator said. Trains usually travel at speeds of 60kmh to 80kmh.

SMRT said it returned train services to their full speed along the affected stretch from Oct 5.

On Oct 11, SMRT told The Straits Times that as a precaution, it had been conducting regular visual and ultrasonic inspections along the affected stretch after lifting the speed limit, and “no abnormalities related to the incident were detected”. 

“Safety remains our top priority as we continue operations on the repaired section,” it added.

ST reported on Oct 2 that

nightly visual checks of newly replaced track sections

were expected to last a week, before returning to the usual weekly schedule.

On Sept 25,

a faulty train on the EWL caused extensive damage to the tracks

and trackside equipment while on its way back to the Ulu Pandan Depot. This crippled train services between Jurong East and Buona Vista stations until Sept 30.

About 2.6 million passengers were affected by the disruption, which was one of the worst to hit Singapore’s MRT system in its 37-year history.

The Land Transport Authority has

started a probe into the disruption.

 The investigations are expected to be completed in a few months’ time, and the findings will be made public.

There have been five rail disruptions here in the last four weeks.

After the six-day disruption on the EWL ended, two more incidents occurred.

On Oct 1, train services on the Thomson-East Coast Line between Woodlands North and Lentor stations were delayed

due to signalling issues.

On Oct 10, services along the EWL were disrupted between Queenstown and Bugis stations

due to an electrical fault on a train.

Earlier, on Sept 17, a train disruption occurred on the Circle Line due to

a circuit breaker that tripped.

The next day, train services on the same line were delayed again because of a fire at a train depot. Both disruptions affected all 30 stations on the Circle Line.