SMRT to be fined $3m for major East-West Line disruption in 2024

Incident crippled MRT services, disrupted 1 in 6 train trips every day

- Kenneth Cheng

Rail operator SMRT will be fined $3 million for a major six-day disruption on the East-West Line (EWL) in September 2024, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on June 3.

LTA said the penalty was "proportionate" to the circumstances of the incident, which crippled MRT services between Jurong East and Buona Vista stations and disrupted about one in six train trips daily.

The authority said it considered the cost SMRT had borne from repairs, as well as from providing free bus and shuttle train services at the affected stations.

Releasing the findings of its months-long investigation into the incident, LTA said degraded grease was likely to have caused a faulty part of a train's undercarriage to fall out, which precipitated the disruption on the morning of Sept 25, 2024.

The part - called an axle box, which holds the train's wheels to the axle, a rod connecting a pair of wheels - was dislodged near Dover station while the train was being withdrawn from service to Ulu Pandan Depot.

This caused one of the train's 12 bogies - a structure below the train carriage - to derail.

The six-car train could continue travelling as the other 11 bogies remained on the rails. But the derailed portion of the third carriage caused extensive damage to 2.55km of track and trackside equipment.

LTA found that grease keeping the axle bearings lubricated within the axle box was likely to have been degraded. The bearings are mechanical parts that allow the smooth rotation of the wheels when the train is running.

Grease that has lost lubrication capabilities can cause increased wear and tear of the bearings and, eventually, overheating.

The axle box is held in place by chevron springs - metal plates bonded together by rubber that absorb vibrations when trains are operating.