SINGAPORE ¡ª More attention will be paid to a problematic stretch along the North-East Line (NEL) which was hit by its latest disruption yesterday, said Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew.
The disruption between five stations ¡ª Dhoby Ghaut and HarbourFront ¡ª lasted more than six hours and affected some 58,000 commuters yesterday.
A power fault was first noticed at 9.51am, which disrupted journeys along the entire line in both directions, said SBS Transit.
After tracing the fault to a section of tunnel between HarbourFront and Dhoby Ghaut stations, it decided to halt train services along this stretch at 10.14am so that engineers could enter the tunnel to conduct repairs.
A stainless steel U-shaped bolt holding the cantilever arm of the overhead power cables was the root of the problem, said SBS Transit.
Last August, a fault also involving a U-shaped bolt, compounded by a signalling error, along the same stretch caused delays throughout the day. Trains ran at longer intervals, and commutes were delayed by up to 50 minutes.
SBS Transit said the stainless steel U-bolts were checked following the August incident and found to be in good working condition, though it did not specify when the checks were conducted.
During a visit to SMRT¡¯s Bishan Depot yesterday morning, the Transport Minister said a joint team from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and SBS Transit will be formed to look at the NEL.
¡°This is the same stretch that experienced some problems twice over the last year between Outram and HarbourFront,¡± said Mr Lui.
¡°I have asked LTA to work with SBS Transit to get to the bottom of this. They were already in their first meeting for the joint team and this was one of their focus area so they know there is a problem there, we have to go down to the root of it and try to resolve it as best we can.¡±
In light of the repeated malfunction, SBS Transit plans to replace all 1,900 U-bolts between HarbourFront and Outram Park stations over the course of three months.
Compared to the August disruption, feedback from commuters interviewed yesterday on how the incident was handled seemed more positive.
Then, commuters complained about the lack of staff deployed to assist and guide commuters. As a consequence, many were not aware of the shuttle service. Announcements were only made in English, leaving many non-English speakers unaware of the delay.
Yesterday, commuters were informed through signs in four languages placed at station entrances and ticket gantries, while English and Chinese announcements were repeatedly aired in the stations.
Station staff and some 130 Goodwill Ambassadors wearing orange vests were on hand to direct commuters to bus stops, where they could board free shuttle buses connecting the five affected stations. Flyers were also handed out detailing bus services which could be taken to other stations.
At Dhoby Ghaut station, which serves as an interchange between three train lines, stanchions were brought out to facilitate the forming of queues for the shuttle bus. Shuttle buses arrived every minute or so.
