SINGAPORE: Services on the Punggol LRT were disrupted for about three hours on Saturday morning (Sep 13) due to a system fault that prevented trains from being launched from the depot.
The disruption emerged at about 5.15am when transport operator SBS Transit posted a Facebook alert about a “systems fault”.
In an update at about 8.10am, SBS Transit said the fault had been rectified, adding that Punggol LRT has resumed full service.
According to Mr Jeffrey Sim, Group CEO of SBS Transit, preliminary findings indicate that the fault arose from a “premature failure” in the new signalling control system that manages train movements.
“When the system is down, trains are unable to operate,” he said, adding that trains could not be launched from the depot at the start of operations.
Services across all 15 stations along the Punggol LRT were affected.
Mr Sim said SBS Transit is working closely with the original equipment manufacturer to investigate the matter and prevent a recurrence of the issue.
“We apologise to commuters for the inconvenience caused,” he added.
Free bridging and regular bus services were provided during the LRT disruption.
This is the latest disruption in recent weeks.
On Aug 15, train services on the Sengkang-Punggol LRT were disrupted for about four hours due to a power fault, affecting all 29 stations on the network.
On Aug 12, a power fault also caused a five-hour disruption to the Sengkang-Punggol LRT, as well as the North East Line which it connects to.
Mr Sim said after the Aug 12 incident that the hours-long disruption was triggered by a trip in the main and backup power supply at a depot substation.
