East-West Line MRT services fully resume after six-day disruption

SINGAPORE: Train services between Jurong East and Buona Vista MRT stations resumed on Tuesday morning (Oct 1) after a six-day disruption.

When CNA visited Buona Vista and Boon Lay MRT stations on Tuesday morning, operations were running smoothly and SMRT staff could be seen guiding commuters and answering questions.

Passengers queued in an orderly manner to board trains, while some commuters approached SMRT staff members to check if services had fully resumed.

They were quick to reassure people that everything was back to normal.

“All train services have resumed. We would like to thank you for your patience,” said SMRT in an announcement, wishing commuters a safe journey.

Just after 7am, SMRT staff members holding light sticks and portable microphone sets began guiding passengers on the platform at Buona Vista MRT station.

They announced the direction of the arriving trains and told passengers to keep moving and watch their steps.

Ms Susie Chan said she was glad the East-West Line service had fully resumed. She usually takes the train from Clementi to Buona Vista, but switched to taking buses during the disruption.

The 18-year-old thanked workers for getting the trains up and running.

"I live near the affected area, so it was heartwarming to see the workers trying to fix things late at night, even up to 2am or 3am," she said.

Rope access technician Syaz, who goes by one name, said he could wake up later thanks to the resumption of train services between Buona Vista and Jurong East.

His job requires him to work from different locations, and he is working in Boon Lay for this period.

The bus from his home in Braddell takes at least two hours to reach Boon Lay, depending on traffic, whereas the journey by train cuts his commute by about 30 minutes. Given the extent of the damage, he felt that train services resumed quite quickly.

"To me, it’s okay, because I don’t use (the East-West Line) every day," he said.

Student Darren Chan, who is on a work attachment at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, took the train from Queenstown to Jurong East at about 8am.

His attachment started on Monday, and he decided to take a S$17 taxi to work to avoid being late on his first day, he said, adding that peak hour fares were “quite pricey”.

Over the weekend, it was more difficult to meet friends in the area because of the train disruption.

“I’m very relieved, just glad that it’s all back,” he told CNA.

SLOWER TRAINS

For safety reasons, temporary speed restrictions have been imposed on westbound trains travelling on the repaired sections of the track until Thursday. 

"This is part of the standard process following rail replacements, where trains will travel more slowly at 40kmh," LTA and SMRT said, adding that commuters should plan for an extra five minutes of travel time.

After CNA boarded the eastbound train at Jurong East MRT station at 8.46am, the train did not depart for a few minutes, and an overhead announcement said this was because the emergency button had been pressed.

The train departed two minutes later and slowed down slightly before reaching Clementi station at 8.53am. The onward journey from Clementi to Dover was slower than usual by about three minutes.

When CNA travelled from Buona Vista toward Tuas Link, the train slowed down noticeably between Dover and Clementi. It picked up speed shortly after passing Ulu Pandan depot.

Ms Phua Liting, who took the train from Commonwealth to Jurong East, left the house about 15 minutes earlier than usual because she was worried that the trains might be slower.

The 31-year-old, who works in marketing, was surprised not to see a larger crowd at Commonwealth MRT station.

"The train didn’t really seem slower, I couldn’t feel it.

"Actually I was on leave last week so I’m quite relieved that I was only (affected) yesterday," she said, adding that it would have been “quite troublesome” to come to work last week amid the disruption.

The MRT service disruption began last Wednesday after a faulty train caused a power trip and damage to the track and other equipment.

On Monday evening, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and rail operator SMRT announced that full train services on the East-West Line would resume on Tuesday, after successfully replacing 10 rail segments that had developed new cracks. 

Comprehensive testing of the track and trackside equipment was also carried out to ensure commuter safety, before the full resumption of passenger service.

WHAT HAPPENED DURING THE DISRUPTION 

Authorities had initially said they were working towards full restoration of services on Monday. However, the target date was moved to Tuesday after new cracks appeared on rail segments during stress tests over the weekend.

The 12 new cracks were found on unreplaced rail segments that had been weakened by the faulty train last week. They were found along an 800m stretch after Clementi station towards Ulu Pandan Depot.

Engineers replaced the rail segments on Sunday before conducting further stress tests.

After the train disruption began last Wednesday, engineers initially found 34 cracks along a 1.6km stretch between Dover and Clementi MRT stations. 

Disruptions started last Wednesday when a defective component known as an axle box dropped onto the tracks, causing a bogie - or an undercarriage with wheels - to come off the running rail between Dover and Clementi stations.

This resulted in extensive damage to the tracks and other equipment. Engineers also found damage to power cables, the third rail that supplies power and three machines used to divert trains to different tracks.

The damage disrupted MRT services between nine stations from Boon Lay to Queenstown on Wednesday.

Shuttle trains operating at 10-minute intervals were later put in place between Boon Lay and Jurong East, as well as between Buona Vista and Queenstown. 

No trains were running between Jurong East and Buona Vista stations, although commuters could take bridging buses at each stop between the two stations. 

Authorities had initially hoped to restore partial service on the Jurong East-Buona Vista stretch with a single-line shuttle service. But the plan was shelved to prioritise the resumption of full services.