Rate of faulty trains pulled out of service continues to drop: LTA, SMRT

SINGAPORE: The Land Transport Authority (LTA) and SMRT said the rate of faulty trains pulled out of service dropped to 2.6 (per 100,000 km) in the last six months, from 3.2 last year.

In a joint statement, they said they are on track to meet the 30 percent reduction in withdrawal rate of 2.1 for next year.

From January next year, SMRT will retrofit two North South East West Line (NSEWL) trains with sensors to improve the timely detection of third rail sags.

These displacement sensors can detect abnormalities so that they can be rectified immediately.

LTA added that it has stepped up its audits on the public transport operators’ (PTO) maintenance systems and processes even as SMRT adopts more condition monitoring and strengthens predictive maintenance.

To further boost train safety and reliability, LTA and SMRT will engage an independent consultant every three years to review and enhance its asset maintenance.

An independent consultancy study on its asset management framework will also be done and completed in the second quarter of next year.

With regards to improving emergency response, LTA has been conducting random surprise audits at train stations to ensure PTO duty officers are adequately prepared to deal with train service disruptions and are familiar with their incident management roles and responsibilities.

— CNA/lp