NEL trains resume full service after Monday's shut down
By Dominique Loh, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 25 July 2006 1337
hrs
SINGAPORE : Full train services on the North East Line resumed at
6am on Tuesday.
SBS Transit is still investigating the actual cause of Monday's
breakdown, which shut down part of the train system for nearly half
a day.
The company estimates that about 60,000 commuters were
affected.
Early morning commuters arrived at the Outram Park MRT Station as
the first train on the southbound track rolled into service.
Seventy engineers and service crews worked overnight to get the
entire system running smoothly again.
The disruption was one of the longest in the history of Singapore's
underground train system.
At fault was the copper power cable that runs at the top of the
tunnel; it supplies the electricity that drives the train.
The power cable is tensioned, or stretched like a rubber
band.
When it broke, it fragmented into pieces, which were scattered
along the tunnel.
Service crews had to first clear the debris before moving the
trains and making repairs.
Said Alex Goei, director of rail operations, SBS Transit, "Because
the power line is tensioned like a rubber band, when it breaks it
can potentially affect other cables in the tunnel; so we had to do
those checks to cables, to the track. One of the results of the
power trip was that the operation of the platform screen doors was
affected and if the platform screen doors cannot operate,
passengers cannot board or alight from the trains."
Although service on the southbound track was affected for about 11
hours, on the opposite side of the platform, things were working
fine.
In fact, this was used in the shuttle service that served the four
affected stations.
SBS Transit says there is no guarantee such a failure will not
happen again.
If it does, commuters may face the same disruptions as there is no
back-up power supply.
Said Mr Goei, "We will investigate into the causes of why the wires
broke and from the causes we'll look at how we can prevent it. We
would certainly want to minimise train service disruption arising
from what happened yesterday."
The other train operator, SMRT, says that although it uses a
different third rail power system, it too does not have an
alternate power supply.
But the operators say having a backup power supply may not help if
the problem lies with the power cable.
Imagine having a generator in your own home. With a severed power
cable, even if with two or three back up systems, there is no way
the generators can power your home. - CNA /ct