Full resumption of MRT East-West Line delayed due to new cracks appearing during final checks

The MRT disruption on the East-West Line (EWL) is set to continue into a sixth day on Monday (Sept 30), after stress tests on Saturday night saw new cracks appearing.

Full train services are now targeted to be restored on Tuesday, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and SMRT in a joint briefing on Sunday.

Train services on the western side of EWL have been disrupted since Wednesday, after a faulty train caused a power trip.

The initial target was Monday, but during the stress tests, 12 new rail cracks appeared on unreplaced rail segments along a different 800m stretch between Clementi station and Ulu Pandan Depot.

LTA and SMRT said these 10 segments had been weakened by Wednesday morning's faulty train.

Therefore, an extra day will be needed for the segments to be replaced, before more stress tests tomorrow - including using trains filled with sandbags to simulate real-world conditions - to ensure the MRT's safety.

"We thank commuters for your patience as we work on restoring our MRT system," said Lam Sheau Kai, president of SMRT Trains.

"The safety of our staff and commuters is our topmost priority. We seek your understanding as we continue to work closely with LTA to restore train service."

Free regular and bridging bus services between Boon Lay and Queenstown stations, as well as shuttle train services between Boon Lay and Jurong East stations, and between Queenstown and Buona Vista stations, remain available for commuters.

Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat also shared the update on Facebook.

“Weather permitting, we expect the rail replacements to be completed tonight, followed by further testing to continue for most of tomorrow,” he added.

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In a Facebook post on Saturday evening, SMRT had said that works on the damaged tracks and related equipment between Dover and Clementi stations were "fully completed".

The whole of Sunday would see functional and safety tests, including running trains on the tracks at different speeds.

The three damaged track point machines - which direct trains onto different tracks - and other rail equipment had been successfully recovered and passed functionality checks earlier on Friday.

Train services between Jurong East and Buona Vista stations have been suspended since Wednesday morning, after a component of a faulty train's wheel structure came off near Dover station while on its way to the depot.

This caused some wheels on the third carriage to drop out of position, which led to 34 rail breaks along a 1.6km stretch and a 150m stretch of track.

It also led to a power trip, disrupting train services from Boon Lay to Queenstown stations.

ALSO READ: 'It warms the heart': Retiree and other volunteers help fellow commuters during ongoing MRT EWL disruption

lim.kewei@asiaone.com
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