LTA will mete out penalties if investigations reveal lapses, says Chee Hong Tat.
At 3pm, the second and first carriages of the affected train were towed back to the depot, on Sept 25, 2024.
He told Parliament that the Land Transport Authority will mete out penalties should investigations reveal any lapses, and rail operator SMRT will bear the costs of the disruption regardless of the outcome of the probe. “While we do our best to avoid disruptions, incidents may still happen from time to time,” the minister added. “What is important is how we respond to the incidents, and how we learn from them to strengthen our resilience against future disruptions,” he said.
However, as the other eleven bogies of the train remained on the rails, the train was able to continue travelling for a few minutes past Clementi, Mr Chee said. When SMRT staff attempted to restore train service along the affected EWL section, they realised extensive damage had been caused and it would take time to remove the faulty train from the tracks and to carry out repairs, he said.
However, Mr Chee said he would not comment on whether such systems could have detected risks leading up to the disruption on Sept 25, citing the ongoing investigations. Mr Chee said LTA has been working with the rail operators since 2011 to improve their maintenance regimes. LTA has upgraded signalling and power systems and invested in infrastructure like signalling simulation centres, to improve the operators’ ability to diagnose and remedy different faults.LTA’s monitoring of MKBF and rail licensing conditions has also ensured that the rail operators here invest sufficiently in maintenance to minimise disruptions, he said.
About 850 commuters on board a stalled train near Clementi MRT station safely disembarking on the tracks and being guided back to the station platform. PHOTO: SMRT/FACEBOOK
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