Component that malfunctioned on June 3 is new, says SMRT

Meant to protect equipment from power surges, it isn’t due for maintenance till 2025

- Kok Yufeng

An electrical component that did not work as intended during a lightning strike on June 3, which led to train services being disrupted on the North-South MRT Line for more than two hours, was handed over to SMRT seven months ago.

In a statement to The Straits Times on June 18, the rail operator said the surge arrestor in question, which is meant to protect outdoor equipment from power surges like those from lightning strikes, is new.

The new part was among those commissioned as part of a decade-long, $2.6 billion renewal programme for the ageing North-South and East-West lines (NSEWL) conducted by the Land Transport Authority (LTA).

SMRT said the current maintenance schedule for the new surge arrestors, as prescribed by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM), Kraus Elektrotechnik, is once every two years. The first maintenance window is scheduled for 2025.

“SMRT diligently adheres to the maintenance schedule prescribed by the OEM,” said SMRT Trains president Lam Sheau Kai.