Featured Article Summary #261

On 25 September 2024, MRT East–West Line services were disrupted after an axle box on a Kawasaki C151 train came loose, causing a derailment and damaging track and equipment between Clementi and Dover. Because of this, regular services between Boon Lay and Queenstown were suspended, affecting more than 2 million commuters. Engineers from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and SMRT restored partial shuttle services first, added bus routes for the closed section, and eventually brought full services back on 1 October. This breakdown was described as the worst in the MRT network’s history, with investigations starting on 2 October. The LTA found the problem began with degraded grease in an axle bearing, leading to overheating and fire damage that ultimately caused the axle box to detach and the train to derail. The Transport Safety Investigation Bureau noted that fixing a “Null ID” error in SMRT’s Hot Axle Box Detection System could have helped identify the train early, and SMRT was later fined while the Kawasaki C151 trains were withdrawn from service by September 2025. Singapore’s MRT started operating in 1987, and the part of the East–West Line (EWL) between Outram Park and Clementi opened on 12 March 1988. The EWL is run by SMRT Trains, and its first trains had been in service on the EWL and North–South Line since the beginning, with a planned 38-year service life. There have been several past incidents, including accidents in 1993 and 1999, major power outages in 2016 and 2020, and a signalling software error in 2017 that led to a collision at Joo Koon station that injured 28 people. Around 9:00 a.m. on 25 September 2024, a faulty eastbound train was taken out of service at Clementi after witnesses saw smoke. While it was moved westward near Dover, a defective axle box fell and damaged the track, leading to a power outage at 9:25 a.m. that stalled the train and caused extensive track damage across 2.55 km. Four trains were also stopped between Clementi and Buona Vista, and services between Queenstown and Boon Lay were suspended, with the LTA later announcing no service between Boon Lay and Queenstown for the rest of the day. A point machine between Jurong East and Clementi could not be salvaged, so damaged equipment was replaced and the point machines were realigned and recalibrated. Emergency repairs began immediately with over 300 engineers and technicians, alongside regular bus services, shuttle trains, and crowd management at affected stations, while investigations into the incident started. Repairs progressed over several days, including replacing power cables and third-rail components, finding additional cracks, running extensive testing, and ultimately restoring full train speeds on 5 October after a 1 October service resumption with temporary speed restrictions. The disruption was described by several news outlets as the worst MRT problem in its history, greatly increasing travel times and causing very long queues at bus stops. It affected an estimated 2.1 million commuters by 30 September, with many people confused by changes such as free bridging bus stops, while some services were provided for free. The disruption also coincided with the PSLE exams; students were given extra time if they arrived late, taxi help was offered, and only a small number of students were reported as late (with none affected for the 27 September mathematics exam).