Train breakdown reasons: SMRT must be clearer and more transparent

IT'S safe to say that it hasn't been the best of weeks for SMRT Corporation. One must feel for its senior management and crisis communications team as they tackle one mishap after another.

A power fault was the cause of a major breakdown of train services on three MRT lines and one LRT line on Monday evening. This was the first time so many lines were down at the same time, stranding thousands of commuters during one of the busiest travel times of the day. The trip caused blackouts and cut off the air-conditioning at the affected stations, which also lost power except for emergency lighting.

The North-South and East-West lines were disrupted for about half an hour, and the Circle Line for about an hour. It was worse for those wanting to ride the Bukit Panjang LRT, as trains started moving again only after a more than two-hour delay.