MRT breakdown: Attempt to fix faulty power cable set off chain of issues, says SMRT
SINGAPORE – Preliminary findings show that an attempt to fix a power cable between the Tuas Link and Tuas West Road MRT stations had set off a chain of issues that led to the massive train service disruption on Wednesday night (14 October).
In a statement on Thursday, public transport operator SMRT said that there was a breakdown of insulation of a power cable between the two stations. “A circuit breaker at Tuas West Road station should have kicked in to isolate the fault, but it did not, resulting in the NSEWL (North-South and East-West Lines) power system to trip,” SMRT said. “To restore power to the NSEWL, there was an attempt to draw power from Buona Vista Intake substation (BVI). However, this was done without first isolating the fault, resulting in a power supply disruption to CCL (Circle Line) as BVI also serves CCL.”
The operator said that the insulation fault has been identified and isolated, and the faulty component of the circuit breaker has been replaced.
“We are working with LTA (Land Transport Authority) to conduct a full investigation into the premature failure of these components, together with the original equipment manufacturers who supplied the parts,” SMRT said, while apologising for the disruption during peak-hour evening traffic.
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