- The Mean Kilometres Between Failure (MKBF) for the overall LRT network has increased to 70,000 car-km for the first three quarters of 2017, up from 49,000 car-km for the whole of 2016. Both the BPLRT and SPLRT clocked increases in MKBF, with the SPLRT achieving a larger increase of 34,000 car-km, from 72,000 car-km to 106,000 car-km. LTA will continue to work closely with the operators to further improve the LRT system and raise its reliability.”
More staff, buses during first of 2 full day SMRT closures
But SMRT’s beefed-up team for first full-day closure on NSEWL helps keep crowds moving swiftly
Jan Lee
Dec 11, 2017 06:00 am
Crowded bus stops and confused commuters were a common sight along parts of the North-South and East-West lines (NSEWL) yesterday during the first of two scheduled full-day closures.
But the addition of 400 on-ground personnel, 700 bus captains and 350 buses kept crowds moving swiftly.
EWL stations between Tiong Bahru and Tuas Link and two NSL stations, Bukit Batok and Bukit Gombak, were shut down fully yesterday. This was done to “significantly accelerate” resignalling works, said LTA following a train collision last month that arose from signalling issues.
Aside from the next full-day closure on Sunday, Dec 17, the same stations will cease services earlier on Fridays and Saturdays and begin later on Saturdays and Sundays til Dec 31.
Affected commuters yesterday were able to take bridging buses on one of four routes - Jurong East and Choa Chu Kang, Outram Park and Jurong East, Joo Koon and Jurong East and Joo Koon and Tuas Link - with buses travelling in both directions.
An express shuttle bus service between Boon Lay and Outram Park, stopping at Jurong East and Buona Vista was also available early in the weekend’s mornings to ferry shift workers - the buses departed Boon Lay at 5am and 5.15am and left Outram Park at 6.10am and 6.25am.
Though queues for the buses were long, especially at Jurong East, which was hit by heavy rain yesterday night, shuttle buses arrived frequently.
Commuters The New Paper spoke to did not face too much difficulty navigating the routes, even if some arrived at stations unaware of the closure.
Mr Jia Fan, a 22-year-old naval officer who took a shuttle bus from Boon Lay to Jurong East late yesterday morning said the experience was smooth, despite him not being aware of the closure.
He said: “There are a lot of signs telling you where to go, and I think it is quite thoughtful as there is so much manpower involved.”
REPAIRS
During the closure, two teams worked to replace three track circuits in 5½ hours. (See report below.)
During regular maintenance hours, replacing even one track circuit might take up to three nights.
Not all commuters had the smoothest of mornings, though. Mr Li Kui, 30, who works in construction, was heading to Chinatown Point and was confused by the closure, though he approached staff for help.
Mr Li said: “All the brochures and the signs were in English, I don’t understand (them).”
Ms Lee Siew Lan, 45, took almost two hours to get from Outram Park to Clementi after seeing her daughter off at Changi Airport in the morning.
She was also unaware that a shuttle bus service was available from Jurong East to Bukit Batok.
Said the clerk: “Usually ittakes me 45 minutes to get home but it has been two hours and I am still waiting for a taxi.”
continue reading here :
http://www.tnp.sg/news/singapore/mor...-smrt-closures
2 different views of reporting from the official news orgainsation ? Who to believe ? Fakes new or real news ??? How can we trust the PAP ?
Delays hit Downtown Line during evening rush hour due to signalling fault
12 Dec 2017 07:38PM (Updated: 12 Dec 2017 07:59PM)
SINGAPORE: Evening rush-hour commuters travelling along the Downtown Line were affected by delays on Tuesday (Dec 12).
Several commuters tweeted that they experienced delays of 10 to 15 minutes along some stations along the Downtown Line towards Bukit Panjang, including Promenade, Tampines East, MacPherson, Chinatown and Newton stations.
In a notification sent from the Land Transport Authority’s (LTA) MyTransport app at 7.26pm, commuters were told they can expect an “additional travelling time of 10 minutes on Downtown Line due to a signalling fault”.
The fault happened at Tampines station, said train operator SBS Transit in a tweet at about 7.45pm.
One commuter reported that an announcement was made when his train stopped at Telok Ayer station: “This train will stop here for a short while. We are sorry for the delay.”
Several commuters said their trains stopped for longer than usual at some stations. When the trains finally moved off, they became “stuck” again at another station, they added.
Read more at
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news...due-to-9492618
New line ; new hardware and new software still got problem with signalling fault ??? So how Mr Khaw still don’t want to set an Independent Committee of Inquiry ??? What are you hiding Mr Khaw ???
Signalling fault at newly-opened Downtown Line
December 12, 2017
Singapore’s Downtown Line was hit with a major disruption today (Dec 12) with trains stopping at each station for more than 15 minutes. According to the Land Transport Authority, the fault affecting all stations on the Downtown Line first surfaced at Tampines station at 7.26pm and continued until 8.13pm. A passenger taking from Tampines to Bendeemer station said his total journey for the 8 stations were delayed by more than an hour due to the fault.
The Downtown Line was only opened two months ago and this is the second major disruption already for the S$21 billion railway line.
SBS Transit posted on Twitter saying they are “very sorry” but the company did not arrange alternative transport. No shuttle bus was provided by SBS Transit, and this created serious overcrowding at all Downtown Line stations during the peak hour evening.
According to an earlier statement by Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan, Singapore’s railway network require more power during peak hour period to accommodate the population. The Transport Ministry is currently busy concentrating on fixing the East-West and North-South Lines, which they claimed are “very old” train lines.
continue reading here :
http://statestimesreview.com/2017/12...downtown-line/
Why no free bus shuttles service provided ? So how Mr Khaw ? Still don’t want to set up an Independent Committee of Inquiry ? PAP is so quick to set up all kinds of committees but not this one . Why ??? How can we trust the PAP ???
Limited service on Sengkang-Punggol LRT on Sundays next year to facilitate improvement works
15 Dec 2017 07:03PM
SINGAPORE: In the first two months of 2018, there will be limited services on parts of the Sengkang-Punggol LRT (SPLRT) on Sundays, to facilitate renewal and improvement works, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced in a news release on Friday (Dec 15).
From Jan 14 to Feb 25, only one platform will open for service at 5.30am on Sundays. The other platform will open from 7am.
“SBS Transit will increase the frequency of train services on the unaffected platform to cope with the expected increase in passengers. However, some commuters may experience longer travel times as a result of the limited services,” LTA said.
The works will include maintenance and replacement of the power rail, signalling switch machines and cables on the SPLRT.
“LTA has also begun precautionary works to strengthen the crossheads supporting the SPLRT viaducts, and rectify cracks found during regular inspections,” the authority said.
“These cracks do not pose any safety risks, as the load-bearing capacity of the crossheads has not been compromised,” it added.
As for the Bukit Panjang LRT (BPLRT), renewal works have been ongoing.
Read more at
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news...ear-to-9502364
Why not just close for 1 month ? Provide free shuttle service . Even a LRT can’t even maintain properly . How to run the HSR to Kuala Lumpur ?
Such world class transport system Singapore has.
Sunday closures, shorter weekend service hours on another part of East-West Line in January
15 Dec 2017 07:38PM (Updated: 15 Dec 2017 10:39PM)
SINGAPORE: Train service on the eastern sector of the East-West Line (EWL) will be affected on all weekends in January as maintenance and renewal works on the rail line continue, SMRT said on Friday (Dec 15).
This includes two more full-day closures of 10 stations on Jan 21 and Jan 28, both Sundays. The affected stations are the stretch between Paya Lebar and Pasir Ris MRT stations, as well as Expo and Changi Airport stations.
There will be early closures on Fridays and Saturdays at 11pm and late openings at 8am on Saturdays and Sundays.
Two shuttle bus services - one between Aljunied and Pasir Ris, and another between Expo and Changi Airport - will be available. They will serve the bus stops closest to the affected MRT stations.
TRAINS AT LONGER INTERVALS ON NSL
Trains will also come at longer intervals on the North-South Line late at night and early in the morning on weekends, the public transport operator said.
This is because MRT train services between Orchard and Marina South Pier stations will be operating on a single track on late Friday and Saturday nights, and early Saturday and Sunday mornings.
Train services will therefore operate at longer intervals of between 10 to 15 minutes before 7am and after 11pm on certain days:
Read more at
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news...art-of-9502414
LTA please ensure that engineering works are carried out correctly and properly . Please also make sure safety measures are in place for the workers and engineers .
LTA: Structural cracks found at Sengkang-LRT stations is safe
December 15, 2017
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) made an announcement yesterday (Dec 15) revealing that they found structural cracks at the “crosshead” structures supporting the Sengkang-Punggol LRT train line during a “regular inspection”. The LTA covered up the seriousness of the cracks and refused to disclose further details.
However, the government was quick to play down the possibilities of a railway track collapse, claiming the structural cracks is “safe” and that they will need 2 years to repair the structures:
“While cracks were found on the crossheads during regular inspections, these were assessed to not be of any safety risk to commuters and did not compromise the load-bearing capacity of the crossheads. Rectification of the cracks will be carried out as a precautionary measure and these works will be completed by 2020.”
There is no explanation how the cracks were formed, but it is likely due to overpopulation on the trains causing overloaded stress on the beam structure.
In the same announcement yesterday, LTA also told Singapore commuters to expect more train delays island-wide in the next two months, Jan and Feb 2018. The delays will affect both train duopoly companies, SMRT and SBS Transit.
In the northeastern region, only one platform at Sengkang-Punggol LRT railway will be functional from 5.30am to 7am for six Sundays between Jan 1 and Feb 11. LTA said that SBS Transit will increase the train frequency on the single platform to cope with increase in passenger load.
continue reading here :
http://statestimesreview.com/2017/12...tions-is-safe/
So how can we trust the LTA ; Mr Khaw & the PAP ???
LTA: Rail reliability improved 49%!
December 16, 2017
In their latest report on rail reliability, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) claimed that their measurement has shown a whopping 49% improvement. According to LTA, their statistic shown that the LRT network saw an increase to 70,000 car-km for the first three quarters of 2017 compared to 2016’s 49,000 car-km:
“Increase in LRT reliability
You may view LTA’s press release here.
LTA did not reveal how did they come out with their measurements, but the MKBF calculation excludes emphasis on the number of downtime in hours. Only a minority do not trust the Singapore government’s statistics and claims that rail reliability has improved.
continue reading here :
‘Software logic issue’ caused Joo Koon train collision, says LTA following investigations
18 Dec 2017 05:20PM (Updated: 18 Dec 2017 06:12PM)
SINGAPORE: A “software logic issue” with the new signalling system and a “confluence of failure conditions” caused the train collision at Joo Koon MRT station on Nov 15, 2017, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Monday (Dec 18), as it completed investigations into the incident.
In a media release, LTA said its findings are consistent with initial findings presented at a media briefing last month.
LTA added that it has corroborated its findings with the final investigation report submitted by signalling system supplier Thales.
Echoing what was said at the Nov 21 media briefing, LTA said the collision arose from an “abnormal condition” on a train-borne CBTC signalling equipment.
“When this occurs, the CBTC system will, by design, apply a Non-Communicating Obstruction (NCO) protective ‘bubble’ around the affected train to ensure its safety. This was the requisite start state for the incident,” LTA said. However, the train crossed “the only track point” that has not yet been fully modified for compatibility with the CBTC system.
The protective “bubble” was then “unexpectedly disabled” by the CBTC system, “as the software logic cannot correctly process a track point that has yet to be fully modified for compatibility with the CBTC system when running in passive mode”.
“This is not an issue when the CBTC is running in active mode on the North-South Line and the Tuas West Extension (TWE) as they are fully on the CBTC system,” LTA said.
LTA also said the failure conditions arose as a result of complications from operating two signalling systems concurrently on a single line.
“As a precautionary measure, operations on the Tuas West Extension (from Joo Koon to Tuas Link MRT stations) have been separated from the rest of the East-West Line (EWL, which operates on the legacy signalling system) since Nov 20,” LTA said, adding that Thales has completed circuit modification works for the previously incompatible track point.
Thales is also modifying the software logic of the CBTC system to prevent future inadvertent disabling of the protective “bubble”, LTA said.
THALES TO SET UP SIMULATION FACILITY IN SINGAPORE
LTA added that Thales will be setting up a CBTC simulation facility in Singapore to “strengthen testing processes” for the new signalling system in the North-South as well as East-West Lines.
The first phase of the facility will be completed by the first half of 2018 to enable off-site testing of the East-West Lines’ CBTC signalling system before it is fully rolled out.
“When completed, this facility will be the first of its kind outside Paris/Toronto where Thales is based,” LTA said, adding that the second phase will be complete by end-2018.
Read more at
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news...ys-lta-9507472
Getting more worried whether the software and hardware is safe or not ?
East-West Line’s new signalling system to undergo extra tests to enhance safety
PUBLISHED 1 HOUR AGO
Adrian Lim Transport Correspondent
SINGAPORE - To strengthen testing processes, the East-West Line’s new signalling system will be put through its paces in a simulation facility before it is rolled out for passenger service.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said this on Monday (Dec 18), as it made public its investigation findings into last month’s train collision, which, it added, was consistent with findings given earlier.
On Nov 15, compatibility issues with the old and new signalling systems on the East-West Line resulted in two trains colliding at Joo Koon MRT station, leaving 38 people injured.
The LTA said on Monday that the French firm supplying the new communications-based train control (CBTC) system, Thales, will set up a CBTC simulation facility in Singapore.
“This new facility will allow us to perform additional simulation tests which are tailored to the environmental and infrastructural conditions of the rail network in Singapore,” said the LTA.
“The facility will also enhance our ability to test solutions for CBTC issues in a controlled setting without affecting train services,” the authority added.
continue reading here :
‘Software logic issue’ behind Joo Koon collision: LTA’s detailed report
Published18 December, 2017
Updated 18 December, 2017
The Land Transport Authority said it has completed its detailed investigations into the Joo Koon collision, and released an executive summary of its findings on Monday (Dec 18). This is the executive summary, in full.
On 15 November 2017, Train 3535/3536 was launched into service at about 5.38am from Ulu Pandan Depot (UPD) heading east on the East-West Line (EWL) towards Pasir Ris MRT station. It was operating on the legacy signalling system with the new Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) signalling system operating in the background in passive mode.
When launched for passenger service, Train 3535/3536’s train-borne CBTC signalling equipment developed an abnormal condition which prevented it from communicating with the trackside CBTC signalling system.
The safe operation of Train 3535/3536 was unaffected at this time as it was being controlled by the legacy signalling system. Nonetheless, in response to the abnormal condition, the CBTC system automatically applied a Non-Communicating Obstruction (NCO) protective “bubble” around the train to ensure its safety.
However, the NCO protective “bubble” was inadvertently disabled when Train 3535/3536 passed over an existing trackside device (a track point labelled W210B located west of Clementi station) which had yet to be modified for compatibility with the CBTC system.
From that moment onwards, each track circuit block that Train 3535/3536 entered automatically imposed a Temporary Speed Restriction (TSR) of 18 kilometres per hour (km/h).This is illustrated in Figure 1 below.
However, this did not affect the operation of Train 3535/3536 as it continued to travel eastbound towards Pasir Ris MRT station under the full control and protection of the legacy signalling system. After reaching Pasir Ris MRT station, Train 3535/3536 turned back westbound to Pioneer MRT station.
continue reading here :