East-West Line to fully resume services on Oct 1, 2024

Train services on the East-West Line (EWL) will fully resume services on Tuesday (Oct 1) from the start of passenger service hours, about a week after a faulty MRT train caused severe damage to the track and trackside equipment.

In a joint media statement on Monday, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and rail operator SMRT said engineers and technicians have successfully replaced rail segments that had developed new cracks, pushing back the resumption of services from Monday to Tuesday.

East-West Line fully resume services on Tuesday, Oct 1, 2024

“Rail replacement – thermite welding” (Image: SMRT/Facebook)

Normal train services between Jurong East (EW24) and Buona Vista (EW21) stations on the EWL will fully resume on Tuesday from the start of passenger service hours.

This comes after engineers and technicians of LTA and SMRT successfully replaced 10 rail segments that had developed 12 new cracks, which were found after stress tests on Sunday. Comprehensive testing of the tracks and trackside equipment was also conducted overnight.

Such tests comprise a system of functional and safety tests on the track, power supply, and train signalling systems. The tracks were also subjected to a sequence of load tests, ultrasound checks, followed by endurance runs using MRT trains packed with sandbags.

“We conduct these safety checks thoroughly to ensure commuter safety, before we fully resume passenger service.”

“LTA and SMRT engineers and technicians have successfully replaced the 10 rail segments that had developed new cracks, as of late last night. They then worked through the night to conduct comprehensive testing of the track and trackside equipment.

“These tests comprise a system of functional and safety tests on the track, power supply and train signalling systems. The tracks were also subjected to a sequence of load tests, ultrasound checks, followed by endurance runs using passenger trains packed with sandbags.

“We conduct these safety checks thoroughly to ensure commuter safety, before we fully resume passenger service.”

— SMRT

“Rail replacement – rail cutting” (Image: SMRT/Facebook)

LTA and SMRT said, for safety reasons, temporary speed restrictions (TSR) of 40 km/h will be imposed on westbound trains travelling on the repaired sections of the tracks until Thursday, Oct 3, as part of the “standard process following rail replacements”.

“We advise commuters who are travelling to the West on the East-West Line to plan for an additional five minutes of travel time.”

“For safety reasons, there will be Temporary Speed Restrictions (TSR) imposed on westbound trains travelling on the repaired sections of the tracks.

“This is part of the standard process following rail replacements, where trains will travel more slowly at 40km/hr. The TSR will be imposed for three days, until Thursday, 3 October.

“We advise commuters who are travelling to the West on the East-West Line to plan for an additional five minutes of travel time.”

— SMRT

LTA and SMRT extended their deepest appreciation to their workers “who have been working day and night to complete the repairs and testing works to fully restore train services”.

They also thanked ground staff from bus operators, the Police Officers from TransCom, Traffic Police, and Police Land Divisions, and volunteers for assisting commuters with their journeys.

“We thank commuters for their patience in bearing with the inconveniences they have experienced during this disruption. We are also grateful to our commuters for their understanding, and for showing care and concern to our workers with their acts of kindness.”

The EWL train disruption began on Wednesday morning after a defective Kawasaki Heavy Industries C151 (KHI) train was withdrawn back to the Ulu Pandan depot. While en route, the train’s axle box train had “dropped”, causing a bogie to “come off the running rail”.

The 35-year-old KHI train fleet has been undergoing retirement since 2020 and is being replaced by the 7th-gen Alstom Movia R151 trains, which first entered service last year.

Amongst the trail of destruction caused by the KHI train, LTA and SMRT found 46 rail cracks across 2.55km of tracks between Dover (EW22) and Clementi (EW23) stations. Several Pandrol clips that fasten running rails onto the sleepers were also damaged.

Several trackside equipment were also damaged, including the third rail – which supplies direct-current electrical power of 750 volts to the trains – and three track point machines – which are used to divert trains to different tracks.

RELATED: East-West Line disruption to continue into 2nd day; no train services between Jurong East & Buona Vista »
RELATED: East-West Line recovery works progressing well; functional & safety tests scheduled for Sunday »
RELATED: East-West Line disruption to continue on Sep 30, 2024; Jurong East to Buona Vista section remains closed »

Related Links
Kawasaki Heavy Industries C151 – SGTrains
East-West Line – SGTrains
Train Service Status – SGTrains

External Links
Full Resumption of Service on East-West Line on 1 October 2024 – SMRT
“#PSA – Train services between Jurong East and Buona Vista stations will resume tomorrow, 1 Oct 2024, from the start of passenger service hours. 🚆⏰” – LTA/Facebook

Images: LTA/Facebook, LTA/Facebook, SMRT/Facebook, SMRT/Facebook.
This article first appeared on SGTrains.