East-West Line disruption: Assoc Prof Raymond Ong on the complexities of repairing track damage



The Land Transport Authority and SMRT have found three damaged point machines — devices that help trains switch onto different tracks smoothly. Several power cables and rail clips also took a hit. In total, 34 rail breaks have been found across 1.6 kilometres of tracks between Clementi and Dover stations on the East-West Line. These rail breaks pose safety risks if left unrepaired. Associate Professor Raymond Ong, deputy head of research and enterprise at the NUS Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, spoke about the complexities involved in repairing the damage.

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48 thoughts on “East-West Line disruption: Assoc Prof Raymond Ong on the complexities of repairing track damage”

  1. Wonder why no preventive process implemented? When a faulty train happens, it can be anything, but engineers should be deployed to do checks on the external of the MRT, a form of inspection that no parts is loosen etc. And then when the train is being rolled back, 2 engineers to be deployed behind the train to ensure track, 3rd track etc is not damaged as the faulty train moves off, at least for 500m if the distance is too long to follow all the way.

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  2. Lol..over 3 decades of running mrt and still done know how to fix damaged track. Sleeping on job and lack of training. And yes, next time pls interview real hand on engineer. Not someone who probably never get his hand dirty like this so called AP. Look like he is repeating what smrt said and to cover up for smrt. Explained like a technician instead of AP. This is the problem when you only good on paper but know nothings on actual work done😅

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  3. Why put rock pebbles on elevated track that defeat the purpose of drainage on ground-level tracks. Other countries like China, Taiwan and Japan do not have rocks on elevated tracks as vibrations can damage the tracks and cable ties. Means our engineers have no brains.

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  4. The MRT disruption on the East-West Line (EWL) on September 25th was caused by a faulty 35-years-old train that damaged the tracks near Clementi station. They should have removed part of the axle from the faulty train before dragging it back to maintenance depot. It is the axle that dropped and hit the 3rd rail which caused the electricity outage and also extensive breaks across the stretch of rail track while being dragged along. If portions of the faulty axle cannot be removed, specialized equipment such as using cranes or other heavy machinery to lift and move the train to their maintenance depot.

    In short, the MRT maintenance crew lacked common sense because they ignored safety to humans and equipment in their SOP (standard operating procedures). On the whole, without this incident, our MRT system is fine and is one of the best in the world.

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  5. Typical mentality…..its not a problem until it is a problem.."dont worry…nothing will happen"…..when the problem does occur….then everyone starts scrambling/panciking….too little too late….and here we are raising fares again….when the company is making HUGE profits every year….not a couple of thousands or millions….but 10s of millions….go figure….

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  6. many of the comments below reveal exactly why we need academics. as he indicates, this is far from being merely an engineering issue. it's an institutional, structural, logistical, political issue as much as an engineering one. listening a bit closer helps understand that. academics are trained to see connections and analyse complexity. not all do it well of course but good ones do – because chat chat, no action, is fundamentally important to overcome ignorance and short sightedness… just sayin'''

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  7. The auto translation from voice to text is terrible – absolutely terrible. The machine is adjusted to recognise Caucasian diction rather than Asian diction. Suggest like speeches be proof-read and corrected before posting on Internet.

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  8. lolzzz they hv hired an expert to 'explain' apparently its a 'rare incident'…what a poorly staged wayang, atleast hire one that can comms well…actually, actually, actually ah all due to poor maintenance😂😂😂😂😂

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  9. 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.

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  10. lol this is so ridiculous, it’s funny. Complex? An excuse for not doing a good job planning and maintaining? Everything has its own level of complexity and the plans must be commensurate. It’s just a screw up which again, no one admits to.

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  11. public transport is very very important for most of the publics. so the maintenance team must make sure they do proper maintenance check daily to minimize disruptions to people lives. when technicians finished repairing or maintenance work, supervisor must be there to check the quality of the work done because people do mistakes. otherwise this problems will keep repeating in the future disrupting the lives of many commuters.

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  12. Wow!

    Two apparent SABOTAGE, first Bunker Tanker, now MRT coach axle damage.

    The TANKER issue on REPORT, SURVEILLANCE, REACTION efficiency.

    Now is MRT COACH ASSETS AI SCANNING at the maintenance depot.

    MoT needs to have an INFRASTRUCTURE ASSESSMENT INSPECTORATE to regularly check on rail, road, tunnels, air, ports, trucks, fuel, charging outlets.

    These checks will be on private, public, glc assets.

    MoT, better get to work.

    😢

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