Did the affected train undergo maintenance?
The train in the incident was among 66 in SMRT’s first-generation KHI fleet that was rolled out in the late 1980s. They are progressively being replaced by new Movia trains.
Initially, 66 Movia trains were to be handed over to SMRT by March 2024, with the first fleet in October 2021.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a delay of 1.5 years and the first Movia train was handed over only in May 2023.
Upon receiving the first fleet of the new trains, SMRT began decommissioning the KHI trains.
In the meantime, SMRT was required to continue carrying out regular maintenance for the KHI trains still in service, including preventive works and overhaul, which refers to a complete tear-down and rebuild to restore trains to a condition “as good as new”.
By the time of the incident on Sep 25, 18 KHI trains had been overhauled, but the incident train was not among them.
The stipulated interval for an overhaul was 500,000km, but SMRT twice extended the interval – first to 575,000km in August 2022 and then to 750,000km in August 2024.
At the time of the incident, the train had logged 690,000km since its last overhaul in 2018.
The extensions were carried out based on SMRT’s internal procedures, LTA said.
The authority also noted that since axle-box failures were not common, SMRT did not undertake a detailed engineering risk assessment on extending the overhaul interval for the axle box.
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Mr Lam Sheau Kai who is president of SMRT Trains said the operator’s overhaul regime has served it well over the past 38 years.
“What may have caught us off-guard this time was the convergence of factors – delays in new train deliveries due to COVID-19, our efforts to balance and adjust overhaul schedules, and the lag in receiving critical spare parts.”
What penalties would be imposed?
SMRT was fined S$3 million by LTA, an amount that was “proportionate” to the incident’s circumstances, the authority said.
In determining the fine, LTA said it took into consideration that SMRT had borne the cost of repairs as well as providing free bridging buses, regular bus services and shuttle train services at the affected stations.
SMRT also provided free travel to passengers alighting at Jurong East and Buona Vista stations during the six days of disruption.
The total cost of SMRT’s service recovery amounted to more than S$10 million.
The financial penalty collected by LTA will go to the Public Transport Fund, which helps lower-income families with their spending on public transport fares.
SMRT will have the opportunity to appeal the fine to the transport minister.
