Malfunctioning component among reasons for N-S Line disruption: LTA

A component meant to protect outdoor equipment from power surges, like those from lightning strikes, did not work as intended on June 3, resulting in a traction power fault that disrupted commutes along the northern stretch of the North-South MRT Line for more than two hours during evening peak hours.

- Kok Yufeng

In a Facebook post on June 15, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said the condition of a surge arrestor located in a power control box near Kranji station could have deteriorated over time. The power control box was damaged by lightning, leading to the disruption.

The authority is now working with rail operators here to review the maintenance frequency of the surge arrestors, it said, adding that it will also work with the operators to strengthen their response to future disruptions.

Without going into specifics, it said public announcements will be improved to provide clearer information. Crowd control measures at affected MRT stations and boarding points for bridging buses will also be made better.

LTA will also review whether public transport operators here will need to maintain a larger fleet of standby buses so they can be activated as bridging buses during a rail disruption.

However, it warned that such a move needs to be carefully assessed, as having a larger buffer will incur higher costs for the public transport system.