MRT East-West line disruption: Expert shares insights into what could have happened

A train disruption that began on Wednesday (Sep 25) morning will continue into Thursday, with no trains running between Jurong East and Buona Vista stations, said SMRT. The issues began with a first-generation train that has been in service for more than 35 years. Mr Teo Chor Kok, member of the mechanical and electrical engineering technical committee at the Institution of Engineers, Singapore, shares his insights into what could have happened and why fixing the problem could be taking time with CNA's Singapore Tonight.
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[@lokechanmun8587]

The solution is to pay more for better quality technicians and engineers who actually do the maintenance work. And not just paying top dollars to the scholars who are just directing the work from a comfortable office.

[@quad6752]

Exactly

[@kengleetan63]

This country is first World in wayang only and NOT truly First World and does not give recognition to blue collar workers. 😆😆

[@2wwwilly]

At site are hand engineers ..in cold room are brain engineers .like your head n hands...today has AI see how to implement . Can install double tracks or dual tracks one up n bottom ..😂😂❤❤

[@Trump1776]

Sui !

[@logicrule]

Pay AI for brain, can retire ministers, let AI run singapore, wait, only need to pay hand to maintain AI, AI brain becomes free!

[@Kingz_80]

Kudos to the staff who work tirelessly on the ground to ensure the track is back and manage the massive crowd through treacherous weather conditions y’all deserve it more than others🙏🏻

[@musingwanderer2765]

Finally one decent comment 🤣

[@nulnoh219]

Bro said nothing with many words.

[@mrtienphysics666]

That is called giving negative knowledge. You get more confused after than before.

[@Hs5687]

CNA handpick suitable Experts 😊

[@kengleetan63]

Need to be careful with his words, his rice bowl depend on it. This is why your country fails. Nobody dare say the truth without risking his or her rice bowl!😆😆

[@2bystander2]

this routine of not taking responsibility and invite a bunch of "experts" to support their narrative 😅

[@littlemissdimples88]

​@@mrtienphysics666😂

[@abovemediocrity245]

Passengers don’t need to know the details, they just need to know when the service will be back up

[@mrtienphysics666]

- World Number 1 Government Effectiveness 2024 (Chandler Good Government Index)

[@sieteocho]

And yet here you are.

[@mrtienphysics666]

@@sieteocho probably the people who give out those awards dont take MRT.

[@mrtienphysics666]

does he take MRT?

[@quad6752]

Nope they need to know there will be another train fare increase due high inflation and not due to breakdown that cost money

[@sidneylock5667]

Cannot provide good service and dare to increase fare prices! The gall of them!

[@mrtienphysics666]

- Asia Most Liveable City 2024 (ECA International)

[@vincecarlo]

ALL HAIL USELESS 4G WEAKEST TEAM EVER

[@durian5233]

Our population stands at 6 million. But the mrt and bus system are not ready. Public is not interested in the technical details.

[@MrBoliao98]

Our train breakdown, our hospital have capacity issues. Tan See Leng talk about power rationing. I mean, we are not meant to handle so many people, then don't come and import so many foreigner. Businesses open their eyes, invest in Singapore? No capacity for you.

[@Fr.VeniceLAI]

..the rest of the MRT system is still operating very efficiently.. it is like your suit's pants suffered a small tear after hooked by the sharp corner of your desk drawer .. what action you take ?? continue working in the office ... or remove your pants ??

[@MrBoliao98]

@@Fr.VeniceLAI I would have a spare pair of pants to use, not shamefully walking around with a tear. If LKY is around, the fellow will go to his office. We're not built to that standard, and it is a fact our train broke down not one day, but for the second day, and people in Boon Lay have no other rail alternatives. Bus 197 is exploding, wake up to the facts and reality.

[@Fr.VeniceLAI]

​@@MrBoliao98 ... how many people, you know ...have a spare Suit pants kept in the office or at inside the car boot ??? .they don't ... so instead of walking w/o, if there is a tear in the Suit's trousers .. oneself would use duct-tape on the inside ..and have a temporary fix to the issue, until office hour is over to get home. Actually, no spare pants, in my office ..but i did have had my spare 2nd Golf-Club Set stored in my office and also my spare golf-attire, if case, need to entertain someone unexpectedly for a round in the mid afternoon.

[@Fr.VeniceLAI]

@@MrBoliao98 Opine, myself have had taken train and metro services in other countries, in U.S.A. in Europe; London, UK cities, Germany, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, Japan and in Dubai-UAE, etc. also in PRChina Shanghai/Beijing and the Chinese famous HSR Trains. Train & Metro services breaking down is most normal and also can occur frequently. Frankly, all these FUSS over Singapore MRT ...reckon is just becos, unlike all these countries, esp. also in PRChina, Singapore Train & Metro services breaking down is rather infrequent ... when it happened .. it becomes INTERNATIONAL NEWS ... it is good for Singapore International PR, that Singapore is run by human beings not some non-human i.e. Technological Advanced Alien Race.

[@Imjong63]

An expert is one who knows more and more about less and less.

[@za7v9ier]

You don't need an "expert" to tell you what happened. Sequence of events: 1. Train Fault 2. Train sent back to depot for servicing 3. Murphy's law happen and the faulty train derailed and probably cut a power cable. 4. Power trip happened because of the electrical protection system kicking in. In order to replace the cut power cable, they have to do proper electrical works because trains require high amps rated cables to run on. These are not readily available, limited in stock and have to be ordered beforehand. Getting it on-hand is expensive but it's a emergency. Cranes to lift the carriage out have to be planned out and ground inspected for heavy lifting.

[@sallyyip2036]

Thanks for the simple & easily understood explanation

[@mysticery]

i think one major flaw that singapore MRT has, is that our tracks above ground are single track. so any disruption, will cause some kind of chaos downstream/upstream. its a tough problem to solve due to our quite set in place design and limited space. theres almost no room for errors.

[@LawrenceWank001]

Expert said many things, but conveyed nothing. CHT must explain in Parliament and resign.

[@benjaminyh6252]

He should have resigned long ago especially with the SimplyGo and ERP 2.0 fiasco He had the chance to prove himself after the corruption of Iswaran but he kept screwing up time and again. He gotta be removed

[@ray-h5p]

So it’s time for Mr. Chee to resign and say Bye.

[@_johnnywalker_]

Even the train got on strike. Fare increase probably a bulk of them went to the shareholders rather than the equipment or ground workers. If these parts are so critical, they could have keep stock redundancy for them.

[@winneroh168]

Problem is if the ministry demand for tech review and perform replacement before breakdown. How often they check all the resources and 34 rails and tracks break in this case, definately not overnite problems.

[@kengtan1421]

I am not interested in the technical details of the disruption. Reduce the price of mrt. Reduce also the pay-check of the ministers as are are responsible. Don't blame those that dug the trenches.

[@Fr.VeniceLAI]

why are you sating so much .. i wager you are not those passengers affected ?

[@leestefan2999]

Ultimately, the EWL is over 30 years old till date. You can do a whole lot of preventive maintenance and changing of spare parts, but just like teamwork, just 1 out of the 1000s of components fails or doesn't measure up, a breakdown can and will happen. You can eat all kinds of nourishing stuff as you age, but it can only do so much, and it doesn't mean you surely won't fall ill. So EWL is down. Yeah, that's a bummer for sure, but I'm sure the techincals are more stressed up than the commuters in rushing to bring the stretch back online. Give them space to work. Make alternate plans, wake up an hour earlier and take bus, take cab / phv, take that bicycle that's indefinitely shelved in your storeroom or walk. Come on, it's no biggie.

[@dachee]

With the current system, such failure is not something that the maintenance team and management are not aware. They are just hoping that it does not happen. But technically it will and it is only a matter of time. Unless such risk taking mindset is changed, more such failure, including other lines will happen.

[@currywoo7271]

Trying to shift the narrative here...Nobody blames the technicians or the maintenance crew., We all know its a management/planning problem.. Tanking criticism ,taking responsibility and making excuses is what these compensated leaders are supposed to do.. You don't have to do their job for free /peanuts..

[@ViolentCabbage-ym7ko]

Blame the govt, not the commuters, other countries have 3 track railways for this type of scenario. Breakdown so many times but still never learn their lesson

[@LaoGuo-x3p]

some of the trains are simply too old ... Time to retire them

[@MrBoliao98]

Actually, the old trains better than the trains we bought in the 2010s. They are lighter and don't wear down the third rail. You go get some new train, sekali touchwood we end up with cable ties again.

[@kengleetan63]

Best run electro magnet trains la..no rail contact. Heard you pay you ministers MILLIONS but how come cannot pay for such system?😆😆

[@avidtan6531]

Why blame the Kawasaki trainset for the damage to the rail and some electrical components of SMRT? The blame for that should be on SMRT's maintenance provider. On the JR East line, specifically on the Chuo and Sobu Line, and the same on the Tokyo Metro, specifically on the Tozai Line. They still use the JR East 209, Tokyo Metro 05, and 07 series made by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, which still works well on their tracks. Whereas those old KHI trainsets were made in the 80s and 90s. Even the Odakyu and Seibu trainsets made by Nippon Sharyo in 1983 are still used today. The quality and dedication of Japanese railway engineers are different, which is superior. And nothing beats their skill when it comes to railway maintenance. Siemens is also used by BTS Skytrain trainsets in Thailand, particularly in Bangkok. The Siemens trainsets on the BTS Skytrain are running smoothly on the tracks. The BTS Skytrain rarely has technical problems in Thailand. It's the same with their SRT, in which technical problems are rare. Most of their SRT train sets come from JR East which is second-hand trains. But they are still in good use. SRT's engineering staff refurbished JR East's second-hand trainsets, making the trains look brand new again. That's why Japanese people love to visit Thailand because the BTS Skytrain network is efficient and their SRT is supported by Japanese technology. I just noticed that SMRT no longer procures train sets in Japan. SMRT always buys their new train sets from CRRC, Alstom, and now from Hyundai Rotem. It looks like SMRT is cost-cutting its budget nowadays.

[@kengleetan63]

@@avidtan6531 ..in summary, the incompetent folks at SMRT not only did not maintain and service the train sets, despite 35 yrs use properly, they allowed the jammed train to drag over such distance damaging so much along the way and eventually derailed! Ah Chee will have his hands full, even after this fiasco is over😆😆🤣🤣🤣

[@thinkpadx60]

singapore infrastructure is not what it used to be..... trains got problem and taxi never to be found when you need one

[@dennistan4663]

Ageing population also Ageing train. Simple explanation.👏👏👏👏

[@RedDotRants]

CNA got it all wrong. There isn't a lot to unpack. We don't need the technical details (and from someone who can't explain it properly to boot). It's not something that should have happened. How can we be assured and compensated?

[@mysticery]

i feel like they randomly found someone in the committee to explain.. but i think it should have been someone within LTA.. this explanation is just general answer.. sad.. cos it didnt help us understand the situation better.

[@pgobserver254]

I believe if Mr. Koh Boon Wan were still the Transport Minister, after the accident, he would have had the LTA and SMRT Rail experts investigate immediately and provide answers. Then, he would hold a press briefing with a Q&A session, flanked by the team leader of the experts to deliver firsthand information. In contrast, the current minister seems to only offer updates on what the SMRT staff are doing to fix the situation. What people really want to know is what caused the issue and why it happened, rather than hearing media interviews with outsiders offering speculative opinions. These outsiders aren’t directly involved in the investigation and only base their views on what they’ve heard from contract workers, which might not reflect the true situation. LTA and SMRT engineers and staff aren’t supposed to leak information, even if they know the truth. All information should come from the top man - the minister. 6:21

[@iMarcism]

Who cares about the technical issues. Just bring the train service back.

[@kinsengchan8265]

When we purchased the trains, what is the designed service life of the trains we specified. If we didn't specify that, we may be running the trains to the bones. Also, the train maker should provide the maintenance regime for the trains to be able to meet the specified service life of the trains. It would be a shame if the management of SMRT didn't know these requirements.

[@vincecarlo]

Talk so MUCH🐔 but NOTHING Told

[@philippelee5720]

Tat why call X pert 😂

[@Fr.VeniceLAI]

Opine, ...my take is that : ..likely ..the East-West Line was among first installed railway line of the initial MRT System established back in the 1990s .. it is very likely, these section has had been aged and deteriorated without previously noticed during routine maintenance and now the entire stretch may need to be completely replaced. That is just my speculation, otherwise, a couple of hours, replacing some components would have been sufficient to resume services.

[@ths3100]

If this is the quality of “experts” we have, we’re in trouble.

[@unfathomable_duck]

Lta and minister for transport not bothered. Period.

[@simonez9197]

Sorry, don’t understand what the expert trying to say. Poor pronunciation made it worse.

[@laughinghahaha8515]

Cos he is working hard not to reveal the real truth.

[@anwaarhussain9136]

Singlish need English translation 😅

[@Kalimatullah_Yoh1-1.14]

Transport Minister : "We will slap SMRT with fines"

[@robertteh3056]

SMRT needs to understand that when you added air - conditioners etc, you need to balance the loads and add more earth- fault and circuit breakers!

[@winneroh168]

It cannot date back to 35 years, Any provider will and should be audited on yearly basic, financial, technical audit and tech upgrade. Power equipment usually have 10 to 20 years Plant-life. Outdoor and expose component need frequent checking.

[@reallyrendom]

听君一席话，如听一席话就是这个意思😂

[@musingwanderer2765]

Seriously why do they interview him instead of someone from Smrt? He doesn’t know anything and it’s so hard to hear him speaking , his answers are abrupt and lacking information

[@2011crane]

CNA don't even do their homework and ask probing questions. Then, why interview someone who can only speculate? Isn't it better to interview SMRT on the cause of damage?

[@musingwanderer2765]

Exactly the “expert” talks like a layman with no further insights 🤣

[@ray-h5p]

Transport Minister Chee should say Bye and resign immediately.

[@LonganLee]

Though this old man may not be a civil servant, can a civil servant criticise his master. I rest my hum

[@muhammadridzwan5909]

Singapore got many 'experts' but all want to stay comfy inside office...all let the politicians talk & pretend to know what's wrong with the country...

[@dachee]

The MRT is a vital system that cannot fail. The maintenance of the system goes beyond the typical breakdown and preventive maintenance. Such costly and vital system would need to be implemented with self diagnostic ability that will signal to the maintenance team of it's possible breakdown at component level before it does. Even some of our cars has such ability. The answers provided, in my opinion, are an indication of poorly implemented system! Could MRT let known what are the parts that failed and what are their protocols with regards to such an incident?

[@francisfoongtimthoong3271]

Increase fare problem always kick in..This is a sign to it that future don't simply Increase price 😊

[@jefftan9826]

There is something called the predictive maintenance that should have been look into. Hope the correct personnel can look at it before more of this happening occur

[@sihanchen7552]

This saga is more than enough proof that the transport system is under-maintained and yet we have a 6 million population now that the system just cannot handle.

[@Thinkerzoid]

OMG…..Mr Teo your commentary is disastrous 🤦🏻‍♂️

[@Fr.VeniceLAI]

... what would you have said ??

[@huangzb8060]

This breakdown remind us of tge failures of the previous CEO Saw Piak Hwa who had neglected the maintainance of the mrt system hardwares and focused instead in expanding the retail spaces in the stations in order to maximise profit which in turn boasted her annual performance bonus, a very selfish act. She sowed the seeds of all these hardware failures.

[@anthonychia4805]

Today maintenance is a problem we dont have enough skill people to maintain the system and you should know what part to keep get some spare to keep and for the track rusty and alignments they have regular checking this show not happened

[@CK-lj3ot]

LTA team no better than ex-mrt chief ms Saw Peik Wa. Saying train is 35yrs old not valid ie there should be recovery plan in expectation of old train breakdown.

[@GASIA-cw8iw]

PAP has been trying to use the cheapest workers from the cheapest countries to deliver a first world economy for Singapore. Naive! Ha ha ha!

[@mypetscatsandfishes4535]

Cable Tie snapped lah.😂

[@MyHanck]

Deja vu several times a year. This is simply unacceptable.

[@WalaMuffin]

Substandard materials and accessories. Why this happens. Lightly need to pay more for our fares 😢😢😢

[@Fr.VeniceLAI]

Opine, myself have had taken train and metro services in other countries, in U.S.A. in Europe; London, UK cities, Germany, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland, Japan and in Dubai-UAE, etc. also in PRChina Shanghai/Beijing and the Chinese famous HSR Trains. Train & Metro services breaking down is most normal and also can occur frequently. Frankly, all these FUSS over Singapore MRT ...reckon is just becos, unlike all these countries, esp. also in PRChina, Singapore Train & Metro services breaking down is rather infrequent ... when it happened .. it becomes INTERNATIONAL NEWS ... it is good for Singapore International PR, that Singapore is run by human beings not some non-human i.e. Technological Advanced Alien Race.

[@woldecosgrove]

Ya la, only this stupid SG gov/ SMRT got the cheek to increase bus/ MRT fare every year yet train breakdown so often, how despicable !! wat ya think ?

[@liewkevin8232]

Long story short, the increase of MRT fare is inevitably.

[@PhilipP-dh3wr]

It looks like just the beginning .More breakdown is coming . Someone has to answer.

[@s1399518]

CNA is really goondu, asking A complete outsider , who could only speculate, and Mr. Teo is also goondu for accepting this interview when he knew nuts about what actually happened, and could only talk in general.

[@winneroh168]

What roles for the ministry when a public services is privatize?

[@iunspoken]

CNA I'm calling you out on this. We hold you to higher standards, than to create a news story out of speculative reporting. That's low, even for you.

[@W-Sfire7000]

Simply JINX SMRT - NO need any mechanical engineering mambo jumbo explanations. Just drop the 'Operator". Yah put in alot of OUR Monies yet SCANT Improvement. I propose replace SMRT with Temasek Lion Express. New Dawn for SG Trains

[@agathiarbabaji1240]

Increase increase increase the ministers pay to perform well.

[@alexyong3918]

This expert is totally not convincing to explain the current situation. We don't need a expert to read the script... just solve the issue and move on. Mr Teo you are on CNA not any variety show.

[@musingwanderer2765]

He’s clearly not in any script that’s why his answers are not addressing the questions and lack any information. It’s better off typing the questions to chatgpt who can answer better 🤣

[@ibkl]

Alibaba technology

[@bentan3311]

Interview Smrt staff!!! why ask Mr Teo who don't know what happen???

[@stocktradinglive510]

Heng, I stay in Yishun

[@desmondkwang5945]

Mr. Teo seems ill-suited for this interview regarding the news piece. It's unclear what additional insights could be gleaned from his responses.

[@andrewng265]

Really Singapore Sia Suay our MRT always breakdown and slow compare to country like HK,Taiwan,Bangkok,Korea,Japan etc. Their Aircon super 👍 once you step inside the train you feel comfortable with the aircon beside that you will feel the air so fresh not like here inside the train like no aircon at all very hot and stinks 😂

[@chenxueqiang4690]

I found the comments here are more insightful😅

[@justingomez3199]

Misrepresentations on the facts. The axial of undercarriage of the kawasaki cabin caused track derailment and damage to the tracks. This is the feedback. If so, the cabin caused the damage. This guy is oblivious and BS.

[@sallyyip2036]

What happened to the millions earned from COE & ERP??

[@quad6752]

Enrich someone

[@tanpengjoo7205]

Shut up. He should join s m r t or why don't he go volunteer to get the matters solve.Why those so-called " technical expert " keep coming out to comments only when incident happened and not preempt before they happen. Serious so what this " expert " only talked but can't provide solutions.

[@LonganLee]

Its Amazing how a tiny city cannot solve the chronic issues. Stop finding excuses. Of course faults happen. But cock ups are cock ups. Why faults not prevented by preventive maintenance? Despite national resources , how many donkey years have passed and sti have cock ups? We must continue to condone and sugar coat the failures. More good years. More of the same

[@heroheng3840]

All talk talk only. What I suspect is that either someone press the emergency brake or it simply just a short circuit

[@october282012]

Y now expert reign in after the havoc n damages r done. Before that where will they.....never talk about the cop n maintenance of this vital links.

[@christopheryongmenglee7569]

C151 is bad

[@a7128]

Jason said we get new trains? when new trains?

[@fungph]

.... seemed to have wasted 6 mins listening to something and it's actually nothing... 😂. So much for IES technical panel expertise.

[@quad6752]

CEO better step down like the previous one

[@dutchmilk]

what could have happen? maybe start by firing ministers?

[@2wwwilly]

35 yo should have sent to National Iron for recycling ♻️ ..

[@dd-dd2co]

A lot of fake experts in Singapore. Where do they get these clowns?

[@ongernie7216]

From India. YOU COME ACROSS THE WORD CECA

[@maxl4099]

Why ask this person? Ask directly smrt . Why u don't trust them ?

[@ViolentCabbage-ym7ko]

"1st world transportation system"

[@kelvinlawrence1]

He is so incompetent and his comments disastrous I wonders why such person is asked to be interviewed Such a waste of time

[@GiggsBeckham]

Answers memorized from standard SOP template!!!🤦🤦🤦

[@SamStab007]

Power trip can cause train to derail?😂

[@redredredtail]

TRAIN DERAIL! NOT POFMA MEANS ITS THE TRUTH.

[@thomasloh8141]

TALK COCK. .He does not even ware that PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE. MRT SHOULD AND MUST FOLLOW HOW AICRAFTS ARE REGULARLY MAINTANED. To MRT PROFITS TOPS THE MOST DISREGARDS OF CONSEQUENCES. I was the one to highlight that the very fist MRT BREAKDOWN WAS DUE TO NO PROPER REGULAR MAINTANANCE. ALL ( Including the MINISTER AND CEOs SHOULD BE SACKED. In Japan the minister will immediately resign. BUT NOT IN SINGAPORE. They only care for themselves NOT SINGAPOREANS. VTO

[@titusphilip1310441]

lousy maintenance the reason. that's all

[@HG-kn3hb]

GE has to postpone.

[@manchu-qu9mw]

One time too many. Rich country and infrastructure outage from rails to IT. As usual, the technical issue blah blah black sheep.

[@hisamjan7842]

This what happen if you skimp on permanent redundant back-up systems and cut down on maintenance run to cut cost and maximize profit. The engineer should jus use heavy rain due to climate change shorted the power supply of the 3rd rail system as an excuse😉😉😉

[@KT-yy7dw]

This is results of left pocket right pocket…scratch my back I scratch urs…got problem? Nah…all is good

[@snsdjerry]

Mr Teo fly kite lah

[@AlbaneseAlbanese-qv3sq]

SG Really Go Backwards ,I Guess So

[@AlbaneseAlbanese-qv3sq]

XIA Suay😢

[@kengleetan63]

Still do not want to tell the truth. Train derail lah, damage the track and damage the power lines. One fine day the train will derail again for sure. So? Still dare to take the train? Better buy your own car lah! But must pay the over $100k COE first!😆😆😆😆

[@AlvinCydis]

CNA segment of inviting experts to share their opinions is utterly pointless and unnecessary, offering nothing but nonsensical and meaningless analysis. Affected parties have learned to stay low and gather the facts rather than coming out to spout rubbish.

[@ayidkiddo9013]

Bro copied someone else homework and edit it.. little did he know the questions are different from what he expected..😂

[@joyboyboy5149]

hahahahahahaha

[@andrewkoh8415]

Bro......... you talking air............ CNA..... please........

[@976buster]

CNA standard dropping gt an expert in to tell us stuff 16 yo can say might as well dun say

[@2bystander2]

talk so much after incident? do preventive work better

[@nicklee7002]

Expert always on hindsight; useless 😆

[@tonykwok9763]

EXPERTS🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@niu745]

Lucky i drive no need to squeeze with peasents and no disruption 😂

[@SparkzMxzXZ]

Please review your spelling before commenting lol

[@GeeWhizzzz]

the joke is on you

[@niu745]

Enjoyed the morning rain! Hope u guys didn't get too weet!

[@sallyyip2036]

Big deal