SINGAPORE, June 3 — Singapore’s public transport operator SMRT will be fined S$3 million (S$1 = RM3.30) following a six-day MRT service disruption on the East-West Line (EWL) in September last year, according to the Land Transport Authority (LTA).

LTA said that in determining the penalty amount, the agency took into account that SMRT had borne the cost of repairs and had provided free bridging buses and regular bus services, as well as shuttle train services at the affected stations.

"It also provided free travel to passengers alighting at Jurong East and Buona Vista stations for the six days of disruption. The total costs amounted to over S$10 million,” it said in a statement on Tuesday.

The penalty will be channelled to the Public Transport Fund to help lower-income families with their public transport expenses.

LTA said its investigation into the September 25 to 30, 2024 service disruption concluded that the likely cause was degraded grease in the axle box, which subsequently led to overheating and failure.

This conclusion was supported by the presence and location of burnt rubber and metal pieces from the chevron springs found along the path of the affected train.

However, the agency noted that it was not possible to establish a definitive root cause.

On September 25, 2024, a dislodged axle box caused the wheels of the third car of a Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) train to fall off the track, damaging the tracks between Dover station and Ulu Pandan Depot.

The incident resulted in MRT service disruption between Jurong East and Buona Vista stations.

Repair works were carried out over six days, and full services resumed on Oct 1, 2024. — Bernama