Morning rush hour commute on EWL hit by 2 different faults on Wednesday
Published: 12:09 PM, July 12, 2017
SINGAPORE — Rush-hour commuters on the East-West line were affected by two separate glitches on Wednesday (July 12) morning which caused delays in travel between Joo Koon and Clementi MRT stations, in the direction toward Pasir Ris.
The glitches, involving a train fault and a track circuit fault, lasted over two hours. Normal services resumed at 10.58am, according to SMRT.
The train operator first announced a 10-minute delay between Joo Koon and Clementi stations at 8.41am on its Twitter page, citing a train fault.
Half an hour later at 9.13am, SMRT said that another glitch - a track circuit fault - was causing the delays, and advised commuters to add 20 minutes to their travel time between the seven stations, in the direction towards Pasir Ris.
Train services were progressively restored from 9.46am, with the delay at the affected stations down to 10 minutes.
Irate commuters, however, took to social media to dispute the delay timings.
“It’s not adding 10 minutes to travelling time but rather 30 minutes more,” Ms Eileen Chan wrote on TODAY’s Facebook page.
Ms Lavena Xu added: “It took 35 minutes to get from Pioneer to Jurong East.”
continue reading here :
http://www.todayonline.com/singapore...ults-wednesday
Well done SMRT . Such world class mrt transport system . You never seemed to disappoint your commuters . Mr Khaw can you please resign and take responsibility ?
Traction power trip behind hour-long service disruption, blackouts on EWL and NSL
Published: 6:25 PM, July 13, 2017
Updated: 6:32 PM, July 13, 2017
SINGAPORE — A traction power trip was behind Wednesday’s (July 12) late-night service disruption on the East-West Line (EWL) and North-South Line (NSL) which halted train services and caused blackouts at several stations.
According to rail operator SMRT, investigations into what caused the power trip — which happened at around 11.35pm on Wednesday — are still being carried out.
In response to queries from TODAY, Mr Patrick Nathan, SMRT vice-president for corporate communications, apologised for the inconvenience caused and said the traction power trip in the western sector of the EWL and NSL was traced back to the Tuas Depot Intake Station.
He said: “The Tuas Depot Intake Station supplies power to Tuas Depot and the EWL from Tuas Link to Jurong East stations, and the NSL from Jurong East to Kranji stations.
“This caused trains travelling within the affected sectors on the network to come to a halt, while some stations experienced momentary loss of electricity supply.”
In addition, the Bukit Panjang LRT (BPLRT) network was also affected as it draws power from Choa Chu Kang station.
SMRT first informed commuters via Twitter at 12.02am on Thursday morning that there was no train service between Jurong East and Kranji, Queenstwon and Tuas Link due to a power fault. In the tweet, it said services were estimated to resume at 12.30am.
Some passengers who were caught on their late-night commute home said the blackout occurred very suddenly, and lamented the lack of follow-up actions by SMRT.
Ms Lim Mee Mee said she was caught in the blackout at Bukit Batok station at around 11.30pm. She said: “I was quite lucky that I reached the station that I wanted to alight at (Bukit Batok). However, my friend had to travel back to Yishun and she was quite frustrated there was no follow-up action from SMRT.”
The 24-year-old engineer said: “We understand that the blackout occurred suddenly, but I guess more direction and help could have been given to us. We were quite lost and stood on the platform for a good 10 minutes, thinking that services would be up soon. Then we decided to (leave the station) using our phone’s light and check with the staff if there were any more train service.”
Ms Lim said her friend eventually booked a Grab ride home.
SMRT said that its power engineers responded immediately to the incident. Other service recovery measures were also taken, which included the activation of power supply from the Buona Vista Intake Station to restore power to parts of the NSL and EWL.
Free bus bridging services were also provided between the affected stations as alternative transport for commuters.
Though train services on the EWL resumed at 12.20am, services on the NSL from Jurong East to Choa Chu Kang did not resume and remained closed till the end of service at around 1.20am.
continue reading here :
http://www.todayonline.com/singapore...ts-ewl-and-nsl
Why now only report ? Such world class mrt transport system Singapore has .
North-South Line signalling system to take up to 6 months to stabilise
By Monica Kotwani @MKotwaniCNA
14 Jul 2017 01:24PM (Updated: 14 Jul 2017 01:52PM)
SINGAPORE: The new signalling system on the North-South Line (NSL) will take between four and six months to stabilise, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and SMRT said on Friday (Jul 14).
But a software update to be installed on Friday night is expected to address glitches, some of which have resulted in multiple train disruptions since full-day tests on the new signalling system started in late May.
Glitches experienced since include door alignment issues when the track is wet and when trains stop at elevated stations, SMRT said at a media briefing co-chaired by LTA CEO Ngien Hoon Ping.
SMRT started testing the system on the NSL during off-peak hours in late March, and then on Sundays from Apr 16. It said more than 1,300 tests were performed, and that no major issues were encountered.
When full-day tests started at the end of May, checks to the signalling system subsequently caused delays during rush hour periods on two consecutive days in June, raising questions as to why such checks were being carried out during the day, including at peak hour.
SMRT Trains’ CEO Lee Ling Wee told reporters on Friday it is important that the system is checked “rigorously” during passenger service to resolve initial teething problems.
“This is a necessary process that we must undertake because the NSEWL (North-South East-West Line) is an operational line,” he said.
SMRT had earlier said it has “no choice” but to conduct checks for the signalling system throughout the day. It is not possible to accumulate enough testing hours if the signalling system is not run during weekdays, and there are only a limited number of “engineering hours” during the wee hours of the morning, when such checks were previously carried out, it said.
Read more at
Cause of North-South Line glitches found: SMRT
Software to be fixed ‘in coming weeks’ but no word on when new signalling system will settle down
Christopher Tan, The Straits Times
Jul 14, 2017 06:00 am
Rail operator SMRT has identified the root causes of some of the technical glitches that have been affecting the North-South Line in recent weeks.
SMRT Trains’ chief executive officer Lee Ling Wee said this in a company blog this week.
Mr Lee said the discovery was made after joint investigations with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and signalling system supplier Thales.
He said SMRT is working around the glitches “while waiting for software fixes to be implemented by Thales”.
“We are planning a software patch in the coming weeks,” he wrote. “We are hoping for a smooth implementation.”
A software patch is a piece of code designed to update a computer program to fix or improve it.
Mr Lee described the whole procedure as “tedious”.
“No two railway systems are identical in the way they are designed and operated,” he explained.
“The system hardware and software we have are customised for the unique local environment.
“While the system supplier had experience working with other operators in the world, they are unable to simply replicate the well-oiled systems of Taipei, Hong Kong and London, and import those here.”
The Straits Times understands that it is the first time Thales is implementing the new signalling system - which allows trains to run at a higher frequency and without drivers - on a viaduct exposed to the elements.
Software had to be tweaked to take into account wet-weather braking, for instance.
Despite the discovery of “root causes” and imminent software patching work, Mr Lee made no commitment on when the new signalling system would settle down.
Earlier, in May, the LTA had said it would take up to six months - or up to November.
That, however, is not the end of the tunnel for commuters.
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SMRT shuts train service between Queenstown and Bugis for ‘urgent repairs’ following faults on NSEWL
Published: 8:53 AM, July 25, 2017
Updated: 12:10 PM, July 25, 2017
SINGAPORE – Train operator SMRT had to shut services between the Queenstown and Bugis stations for 30 minutes on Tuesday (July 25) morning for “urgent repairs”, following separate track circuit and power faults that snarled rush-hour commuting traffic on the North-South and East-West Lines (NSEWL).
The stoppage in train services, in both directions, began at 11.30am. At noon, SMRT announced that services between the Queenstown and Bugis stations were “progressively returning to normal.”
The shutdown was to allow engineers to remove a loose panel next to the tracks in the tunnel near Tiong Bahru MRT station, which caused the rail network to experience intermittent traction power trips, the rail operator said.
“As engineers require track access to remove the panel, traction power needs to be turned off for safety. As such, there will be no train service between Queenstown and Bugis MRT stations in both directions on the East-West Line from 11.30am,” SMRT said in a Facebook post. “We are very sorry for the inconvenience.”
Earlier on Tuesday, commuters travelling to work faced delays caused by an intermittent power fault on the NSEWL, as well as a track circuit fault at the Commonwealth station.
The track circuit fault was resolved about two hours after it was first reported at 8.51am.
SMRT first reported the power fault at 7.26am, warning commuters to expect the stations to be crowded. About four hours later, at 11.15am, the train operator said it had to shut services between the Queenstown and Bugis stations to remove the loose panel causing power trips on the network.
Commuters were upset by the latest train delays. A recruitment consultant who only wanted to be known as Ms Lu, said she had waited more than 15 minutes for her train this morning.
continue reading here :
http://www.todayonline.com/singapore...ast-west-lines
CLAP CLAP CLAP such good service by SMRT & LTA .
SMRT ’looking into’ bus fare dispute with driver
Isabelle Liew
Jul 25, 2017 06:00 am
About 40 people were forced to get off an SMRT bus on Saturday when the driver refused to continue the journey after a fare dispute with a couple with children.
The next day, SMRT apologised on Facebook for the incident and assured the public that it took feedback seriously and was “looking into this matter”.
SMRT was responding to a Facebook post on Saturday by Ms Fareen Salauddin, who had witnessed the incident on service 969 at a bus stop near Khatib MRT station.
She said the driver had problems communicating in English with the parents of a two-year-old girl and four-year-old boy.
After an argument, the driver refused to drive, forcing some 40 passengers to disembark, she told Shin Min Daily News.
Ms Fareen said he had earlier wanted to charge a fare for her niece but allowed the girl to ride for free after Ms Fareen pointed out that her niece is less than 0.9m tall.
TransitLink’s website states that children under seven and not taller than 0.9m may travel for free if accompanied by an adult.
When the parents boarded the bus later, the driver told them to pay for their children as well, Ms Fareen said.
She told Shin Min: “When they asked how much the fares were, the driver only said that his English wasn’t good. They didn’t know how much to pay, and no one came forward to help translate.”
OFFER
But another passenger, Mr Jian Wei, commenting on SMRT’s Facebook post, said when the argument started, a passenger had offered to translate.
But the father told the passenger not to do it as it was the driver’s job to communicate with him.
SMRT said in its post that all its bus captains attend English classes to improve their ability to understand and converse in the language.
“They are also encouraged to seek help from other passengers if they do encounter communication difficulties. So please help where you can,” it added.
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3 injured after SBS Transit bus ploughs into motorcycles at Pasir Panjang
25 Jul 2017 11:49AM (Updated: 25 Jul 2017 12:42PM)
SINGAPORE: Three people were injured and sent to hospital after an SBS Transit bus crashed into four motorcycles along Pasir Panjang Road towards West Coast Road on Thursday (Jul 20), authorities said.
In a video posted on Facebook on Tuesday, the service 10 bus can be seen stationary behind the motorcycles at a junction when it suddenly moved off and ran over the motorcycles, beating the red light.
Several of the motorcyclists can be seen jumping out of the way. As the bus ploughed ahead, the driver of the car behind the bus can be seen parking at the traffic light area and emerging from his vehicle to provide assistance.
Read more at
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/...les-at-9060934
Mr Khaw where are you ?
SMRT ordered to check all service maintenance doors after disruptions
Ronald LohNg Keng Gene
Jul 26, 2017 06:00 am
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has ordered rail operator SMRT to check all its service maintenance doors after one came loose and disrupted train services on the North-South and East-West Lines (NSEWL) from about 6am until noon yesterday.
At 11.30am, train services between Queenstown and Bugis MRT stations on the East-West Line were halted for 30 minutes as traction power had to be switched off to enable engineers to access the tracks safely to fix the problem.
Normal train service resumed progressively after the door was removed at noon.
Yesterday’s incident was the ninth reported delay affecting the train system this month, leaving transport experts concerned about the recent spate of faults.
Rail operator SMRT said in a statement on Facebook at 11.15am that the affected MRT lines had experienced intermittent traction power tripping across the network.
The fault was traced to a loosened service maintenance door next to the tracks in the tunnel near Tiong Bahru station, said the LTA in a statement.
The Straits Times understands the intermittent power trips were caused by a sliding door separating the east and westbound tunnels that had become dislodged from its roller rail.
“We decided to remove the door as it was faster than repairing it. This allowed train services to resume as quickly as possible,” an LTA spokesman told ST.
LTA is investigating the incident, which was not related to ongoing tests of the new signalling system on the NSL that began on May 29.
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Frequent MRT disruptions a concern: experts
Ronald Loh
Reporter
Jul 26, 2017 06:00 am
Transport experts have raised concerns over the frequent delays caused by faults in the rail network, with nine occurring this month alone.
National University of Singapore transport researcher Lee Der Horng noted that SMRT was in the midst of testing its new signalling system, which allows trains to run more frequently and without human interference, on the North-South Line.
It is also reconfiguring its power supply system from a decentralised source to a centralised one, he said, but added that the faults could have been caused by other factors such as human oversight.
“To a certain extent, there would be teething issues caused by the upgrading.
“But it is also unfortunate there are other faults, which seem unrelated, happening at the same time,” Dr Lee said.
“All in all, a well-maintained system would not have all these kinds of problems.”
Dr Zhou Yi, deputy chairman of The Institution of Engineers’ rail and transportation technical committee, said train disruptions could also be attributed to an increase in ridership as well as an ageing infrastructure.
He said the opening of new lines should help disperse and distribute train loads so commuters can look forward to a more reliable transport system.
Dr Andrew Ng, an assistant professor at the Singapore Institute of Technology, said: “Like many other commuters, I am worried such faults are becoming an almost daily occurrence.
“But I believe that our railway system would be more reliable and efficient after this transition period from the legacy (system) to the new signalling system, along with proper condition monitoring and intervention.”
Yesterday’s breakdown in services was the ninth this month.
Here are the others, with two on July 20:
JULY 24
A door obstruction at Newton station causes delays on the North-South Line during evening peak hours.
JULY 20
Temporary clamps that came loose near Choa Chu Kang station on the North-South Line cause delays of about 10 minutes at 5.30pm. A signalling fault later causes trains to stop in between stations for more than 15 minutes on the Circle Line around 10pm.
JULY 19
A train fault near Newton station affects service on the North-South Line.
JULY 12
A train fault and a track circuit fault cause delays of about two hours in the morning on the east-bound stretch from Joo Koon to Clementi stations.
JULY 10
A signalling fault causes delays between Queenstown and Bugis stations from 6.30pm to 8.30pm.
JULY 7
A train fault causes a 30-minute morning delay between Woodlands and Jurong East stations.
JULY 5
A train fault causes a 30 minute evening delay on the East-West Line
continue reading here :
http://www.tnp.sg/news/singapore/fre...oncern-experts
Such world class mrt transport system . Will Mr Khaw please resign and take full responsibility ?
Rail reliability has improved but Khaw sets new higher standards
By Faris Mokhtar
Published: 12:42 PM, July 27, 2017
Updated: 1:16 PM, July 27, 2017
SINGAPORE — Rail operators have loftier rail reliability standards to live up to by 2020, with Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan setting a new target for rail reliability in 2020 to improve seven times from 2015’s standards.
The new 2020 target is 1 million train-km, measured as mean kilometres between failure (MKBF) or average distance trains can travel before hitting delays of more than five minutes.
Speaking at the Fourth Joint Forum on Infrastructure Maintenance on Thursday (July 27), Mr Khaw, who is also the Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure, noted that overall train frequency between delays of more than five minutes have risen from 133,000km in 2015 to nearly 400,000km as of the first half of this year, based on preliminary data which exclude the delays due to testing of the new signalling system. That is an improvement of nearly three times.
Rail operators have also exceeded this year’s target of 300,000 train-km, and are on track to meet the 400,000 train-km target next year and 800,000 train-km by 2020. In addition, the number of major delays has also gone down from 10 in the first half of 2016 to three over the same period this year.
While this is a “satisfactory outcome”, the minister said: “This is not yet the steady state we are hoping for, but versus what we had inherited two years ago, I think this is maybe C+. Next year we should go for B. The following year, certainly before election, must be an A.”
But he also said the initial target of 800,000 train-km by 2020 was set last year, before Taipei Metro, regarded as the world’s best rail system, “upped the game” to achieve 1 million train-km last year. So referencing the “best in class performance”, he decided to increase Singapore’s 2020 rail reliability target as well.
Touching on the re-signalling project on the North-South Line (NSL), Mr Khaw implored commuters to be patient as train delays are bound to occur as engineers sort out the teething problems that will surface due to the re-signalling work that is being carried out.
While several delays and congestion did emerge as expected, he said this allowed engineers to fix the glitches before the new system is properly launched.
“Overall, the experience has actually been less traumatic than what we had feared,” he added.
continue reading here :
http://www.todayonline.com/singapore...gher-standards
Sure or not Mr Khaw rail reliability got improvement ? Now this is what I call FAKE NEWS.