Sengkang-Punggol LRT system hit by second power fault in four days

Trains on the Sengkang-Punggol LRT system resumed full service about four hours after a power fault led to a disruption on the morning of Aug 15.

- Kolette Lim, Esther Loi and Koh Ming Lun

Early findings suggest that a cable fault between Farmway and Kupang LRT stations in Sengkang tripped the power on the LRT network at 8.40am, affecting all 29 stations on the network, said public transport operator SBS Transit in a Facebook post.

When contacted, SBS Transit told The Straits Times that it is investigating the nature of the cable fault.

Service on the Sengkang LRT was restored progressively from 11.05am, while that on the Punggol LRT resumed gradually from 11.20am.

Full service on the Punggol LRT resumed at 12.32pm, and trains on the Sengkang LRT were fully up and running at 12.54pm.

SBS Transit subsequently ran trains in only one direction on both loops of the Sengkang LRT line from 3.15pm to 5pm, for cables to be inspected.

This would allow repairs to be carried out more efficiently after the end of service, it said.

Trains resumed running in both directions at 5.15pm.

The Aug 15 breakdown is the second time in four days that a power fault disrupted service on the Sengkang-Punggol LRT.

On Aug 12, operations on the LRT system were disrupted from about 11am, before service was reinstated progressively from 3.44pm and resumed fully after 10 hours at about 9.20pm.

Train service on the North East MRT line also went down for three hours that day, owing to the same fault, and was restored fully at 2.10pm.