LTA to form task force with rail operators to tackle MRT, LRT disruptions

It will find immediate solutions to improve reliability, responses to service disruptions

- Kok Yufeng Transport Correspondent

A new task force comprising industry experts and senior leaders from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and rail operators SMRT and SBS Transit will be formed to find immediate solutions to improve rail reliability and responses to service disruptions.

This comes after at least 15 instances of delays and interruptions across the MRT and LRT networks over the past three months, with the latest involving the suspension of train service on the Thomson-East Coast Line during the morning peak on Sept 17.

The new task force will report its findings regularly to Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow and submit its final recommendations by the end of 2025, said LTA, SMRT and SBS Transit in a joint statement on Sept 19.

It will be chaired by LTA chief executive Ng Lang and include SMRT group chief executive Ngien Hoon Ping, who was previously LTA chief, as well as SBS Transit group chief executive Jeffrey Sim. LTA did not disclose which industry experts will be roped in.

The task force will review the recent service disruptions to identify components that may require replacement, upgrading or increased maintenance.

One area that will be looked at is whether the renewal programme for the North East Line (NEL) power system can be brought forward. No timeline was given.

The NEL and Sengkang-Punggol LRT system suffered a major electrical outage lasting several hours on Aug 12, with LTA later pledging to work with operator SBS Transit on longer-term upgrades to the power supply.