Major EWL train disruption: Power rail to be fixed by Sept 27 as repairs continue along affected stretch

THE third rail, which supplies power to trains, will be restored by the end of Friday (Sept 27), rail operator SMRT said, after a faulty train on the East-West Line (EWL) triggered a power trip and damaged tracks and trackside equipment on Sept 25.

Some of the other equipment damaged by the defective train – including power cables and two out of three point machines, which direct trains onto different tracks – has also been replaced, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on the same day.

In an update on Facebook, LTA said engineers have “been hard at work replacing the damaged track”. “Due to the broken rails, the engineers had to use mechanical jigs to move the new rails to the location of replacement instead of using engineering vehicles,” it added.

During a visit on Thursday (Sept 26) to Ulu Pandan Depot, where the faulty train was, Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat said more than 30 rail segments – each weighing more than a tonne – had to be replaced.

On the morning of Sept 25, a faulty train that had been withdrawn from service and was on its way back to Ulu Pandan Depot caused major damage to tracks and trackside equipment near Clementi and Dover stations.

Engineers found a total of 34 rail breaks – such as cracks or chips – on a 1.6 km stretch of the westbound track between Dover and Clementi stations. Trains cannot safely operate on this section of the track until the damaged segments of rail are replaced.

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The train also damaged three point machines and dislodged rail fasteners. Stretches of the third rail, which supplies power to trains, along the eastbound track were also damaged, leaving power cables exposed.

“Last night and today, we’ve successfully recovered three point machines and other trackside equipment, all of which have passed functionality checks”, SMRT said in a Facebook post on the afternoon of Sept 27.

There is still no train service between Jurong East and Buona Vista stations.

Shuttle trains are operating at 10-minute intervals between Boon Lay and Jurong East stations, and between Queenstown and Buona Vista stations.

SMRT aims to fully restore services on Monday (Sep 30).

Until then, free bridging bus services between Jurong East and Buona Vista stations are provided. Free regular bus services are also available between Boon Lay and Queenstown stations.

SMRT advised those travelling towards the city centre to take the North-South Line via Jurong East, Woodlands and Bishan; the Thomson-East Coast Line via Woodlands and Caldecott; and the Downtown Line via Botanic Gardens.

Chee said on Thursday that more than 300 engineers and technicians from LTA and SMRT have been working around the clock to conduct checks and repairs on the damaged tracks and equipment.

“As the damage is very extensive, they have to do this carefully, and it requires a lot of time. It is a challenging task,” he told the media.

The disruption affected about 358,000 passengers on Wednesday (Sept 25), and an estimated 516,000 on Thursday. THE STRAITS TIMES