SMRT fined S$3 million after train wheel fault caused major East-West Line disruption
SMRT has been fined S$3 million for a major train service disruption on the East-West Line (EWL) last year. Investigations found that the train involved had missed a timely overhaul, which likely led to a critical failure.
The disruption, which lasted from 25 to 30 Sept 2024, began when the wheels of a train carriage came off the track near Dover station.
This happened after the train’s axle box, a component that helps secure the wheels, dislodged, causing damage to the tracks between Dover and Ulu Pandan Depot.
Source: SMRT on Facebook
Train services between Jurong East and Buona Vista were suspended for six days before full service resumed on 1 Oct 2024.
Degraded grease likely caused axle box to overheat and fail
The Land Transport Authority (LTA), along with experts and independent analysts, could not establish a definitive root cause due to the extent of damage to the components.
However, they concluded that the axle box most likely failed because the grease inside had degraded over time.
Without proper lubrication, the parts overheated, damaging the rubber chevron springs and eventually causing the axle box to dislodge.
The heat was so intense that it burned off the grease and melted the surrounding parts.
Source: Land Transport Authority
SMRT’s monitoring system had detected higher-than-normal temperatures on one of the axle boxes before the incident, but the train was not withdrawn from service.
The affected train was part of the ageing Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) fleet, which is currently being replaced by newer Movia trains.
Source: Wikimedia Commons, for illustration purposes only
Although it had undergone preventive maintenance earlier that month, the train had clocked 690,000km since its last overhaul in 2018 — well beyond the original 500,000km limit.
SMRT had extended the overhaul interval twice based on internal procedures, but did not conduct a detailed engineering or risk assessment specific to the axle box.
Fine to support low-income commuters
LTA said the S$3 million penalty took into account that SMRT had already borne more than S$10 million in costs, including track repairs, bridging bus services, shuttle trains, and free travel for affected commuters.
Source: SMRT on Facebook
The fine will go to the Public Transport Fund, which helps lower-income families with public transport expenses.
In response to the incident, SMRT withdrew all KHI trains that had exceeded 500,000km for immediate axle box checks and overhauls.
It also accelerated the rollout of new trains and implemented improved monitoring tools to detect faults earlier.
LTA has strengthened its oversight of how operators manage train maintenance schedules.
Source: SMRT on Facebook
A tripartite Rail Safety and Reliability Review Workgroup — made up of LTA, SMRT, and the National Transport Workers’ Union — has also been set up to improve practices across the rail system.
To further enhance reliability, the Government plans to invest up to S$1 billion over the next five years in rail maintenance, asset renewal, and workforce training.
SMRT cites pandemic challenges, pledges improvements
In a Facebook post on Tuesday (3 June), SMRT said it accepts LTA’s findings and remains committed to maintaining high safety and operational standards.
Source: SMRT on Facebook
The operator said safety is its top priority, but it also needs to balance reliability, cost, and service quality.
It explained that global supply chain disruptions during Covid-19 delayed the delivery of both new trains and spare parts, making it harder to carry out additional overhauls after 2018.
Despite regular maintenance, SMRT said it was managing ageing trains while keeping daily services running.
SMRT added that it is working closely with LTA and the train manufacturer to speed up the testing of new trains and aims to retire all first-generation trains by end-September 2025.
“We remain committed to continuous improvement, guided by Kaizen principles, to enhance the lifecycle management of our MRT assets and strengthen the resilience and reliability of Singapore’s rail network,” it concluded.
Also read: ‘It’s rather annoying’: East-West Line disruption severely affected 49% of people polled
‘It’s rather annoying’: East-West Line disruption severely affected 49% of people polled
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Featured image adapted from Singapore Road Accident on Facebook and SMRT on Facebook.
