SMRT has attributed the Jul 7 disruption of the North-South and East-West MRT lines (NSEWL) to "weak electrical resistance" of the train network's third rail insulator which supplies electrical power to trains.
SMRT said during their media briefing that a combination of factors triggered the incident. This includes water dripping onto the third rail cover in an MRT tunnel between Tanjong Pagar and Raffles Place.
After checks by independent experts from Sweden and Japan, they came to the above conclusions after checking 200km of tracks and inspections of all 141 trains.
To address the issue, SMRT has started replacing all third rail insulators, a process which should be completed by the first quarter of 2017. The insulators which have shown signs of electrical resistance weakness will be replaced first.
Data loggers will be installed at all 47 traction power substations on the NSEWL within the next two months.
Editor's Note:
Do you have a story to share? Please use our submission form or email us at editorial@allsingaporestuff.com. If not, why not give us a 'Like'?