LTA to work with SBS Transit and SMRT in probe into recent train delays
The aim is to improve the transport operators’ incident response, says LTA
THE Land Transport Authority (LTA) has said it will work with transport operators SBS Transit and SMRT to investigate the root causes behind the recent train delays, and to improve their incident response.
A statement from LTA on Thursday (Feb 13) followed three train disruptions in the space of under a week. It said it takes a serious view of the incidents on the North-East Line, which is operated by SBS Transit, and on the North-South Line and Circle Line, both of which are run by SMRT.
SBS Transit is a subsidiary of transport giant ComfortDelGro; SMRT comes under state investor Temasek.
The first incident occurred on the North-South Line on Feb 7, when an engineering vehicle doing routine maintenance work broke down at a railway crossing in Bishan Depot, preventing trains from being launched from the depot into passenger service.
The second disruption came on Feb 10, when a signalling fault near Buangkok station caused trains on the North-East Line to travel slower.
Then on Feb 11, the Circle Line was hit by a signalling fault between Paya Lebar and Marymount stations.
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Preliminary investigations indicate that the incident near Buangkok was caused by a fault in the signalling equipment, which was in turn the result of a malfunctioning electronic card. The malfunctioning component has been sent to system manufacturer Alstom for further examination.
When restoring operations to the Circle Line, SMRT observed that the train supervision system, which regulates the movement of driverless trains, was less responsive than usual. This caused a delay to the resumption of normal operations.
This problem had already surfaced last September.
LTA said that it, along with SMRT, have been working with Alstom over the past few months to develop a software patch, which is scheduled to be deployed this weekend, following the completion of rigorous testing.
The three incidents were unrelated, added LTA.
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