NEL train services delayed for 20 minutes
By Hon Jing Yi | Posted: 20 December 2011 0908 hrs
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SINGAPORE: Train services on the North-East Line (NEL) between Outram Park and HarbourFront stations were delayed for about 20 minutes on Tuesday morning due to a signalling fault.
Operator SBS Transit said two trains stopped in the tunnel during that time as engineers worked to re-set the system.
It said one of the signal track control processors was unable to send a control signal to a trackside switch to turn the trains around at HarbourFront station.
This caused the two trains to stop, as part of the system's safety design feature.
During this time, announcements were made to all passengers in the trains and on the platforms.
SBS Transit said its customer service officers were also on hand to assist passengers at all affected stations.
Full service resumed at 8.05am.
SBS Transit apologised for the delay.
One commuter Mr T.H. Lim told Channel NewsAsia that he was in the train from Outram to HarbourFront when it stopped at about 7.45am.
He said an announcement was made about the delay, followed by another informing passengers that they'll have to wait a little longer.
Mr Lim said during the 20 minutes in the tunnel, most commuters were calm.
"If I was late for work, I would have been impatient but I always leave home early, so I was not worried," he said.
"Commuters affected experienced time loss and inconvenience but you cannot compromise on safety. It's better that they fix the problem and make things better," Mr Lim added.
A signalling fault was also the cause for Monday night's train disruption at Orchard station along the North-South Line.
Channel NewsAsia understands that there are many factors which could cause these "signalling faults".
Train systems rely on signals to communicate. When there is a problem with the signals, which could be as routine as a train door being stuck, the train will not move until the issue is resolved.
The system will also send a message to other trains on the track to stop.
Associate Professor Lee Der-Horng, from the NUS Department of Civil Engineering, said the signalling system needs to be looked into, given that it has been in place for 24 years along the North-South and East-West lines.
"Just last year, the operator (and) the Land Transport Authority announced that there will be an overhaul to our signalling system in order to further improve the train frequencies so that we can have faster train services," he added. ".....I think it has been kind of indicated the signalling system needs some revamp, needs some further improvement."
Associate Professor Lee went on to say: "I think (the malfunction on Monday night) probably had something to do with the weather; it has been pretty wet. And the signalling system can be quite sensitive to the weather, the humidity, and all this may affect... the function of the signalling system."
Separately, SMRT said in a tweet at about 1.33pm that its trains may have stopped for slightly longer periods at some stations or are running at slower speed due to track inspections.
Commuters at Serangoon station on Tuesday morning shared with Channel NewsAsia how train disruptions in the past week have affected their work and lives.
One commuter, Sushimitha, said she didn't go to work over the weekend because of the delays.
Another commuter said: "I am late for work twice....basically it's because of the problem with the rail. (My) company is fully aware that I actually had some issues with the MRT station. Some preventive maintenance should be carried out more regularly just to ensure that the service won't be disrupted, because it would affect thousands and millions of working people."
- CNA/ck/ac
