Past lightning strikes may have caused fault that led to 2-hour MRT disruption on June 3: Chee Hong Tat
A photograph posted by rail operator SMRT on June 4, 2024 showing a damaged piece of equipment by the trackside near Kranji MRT Station.
SINGAPORE — Past lightning strikes may have accelerated the deterioration of a piece of equipment and its failure led to a two-hour disruption on the North-South Line on the MRT rail network on June 3.
Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat said that the piece of equipment, called a "surge arrester", failed to protect an outdoor trackside power control box near Kranji MRT Station from a lightning strike at about 5.45pm that day.
"This caused a loss of traction power, and the disruption to train service," he said in a written parliamentary reply on Tuesday (July 2).
The section of track between Marsiling and Kranji MRT stations is lightning prone, he added.
In a Facebook post on June 3, SMRT wrote that a train driver had noticed a small fire coming from the trackside equipment box and immediately activated an emergency switch push button to stop the train at Kranji MRT Station.
This affected train services between Chua Chu Kang and Woodlands from 5.50pm until train service resumed at 8.10pm.
Repairs were hindered by inclement weather and lightning risks as SMRT engineers had to physically access the power control box on the viaduct.
In a Facebook post on June 16, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) wrote that the June 3 disruption was more severe than the major MRT service disruptions in the past two years.
During previous disruptions, trains could continue running at slower speeds or it was during off-peak hours with lower travel demand.
The incident on June 3 is the first train disruption caused by a lighting strike over the past five years.
Mr Chee said that the rail operator SMRT had adhered to the maintenance regime recommended by the manufacturer for the surge arrester.
"The current lightning protection systems for our MRT network comply with local and international standards, to ensure the safety of our commuters," he wrote.
He added that the ministry is now working with the manufacturer and the rail operators to review the maintenance frequency of surge arresters.
The faulty surge arrester has since been replaced and other surge arresters in the vicinity have been found to be in working condition.
As of July 3, investigations into the disruptions are still ongoing.
Source: TODAY
