SINGAPORE, July 10 — SMRT will be rescheduling longer-term track upgrade and renewal programmes so that priority can be given for to immediate remedial actions that can safeguard the system against a recurrence of a breakdown.

In a press statement today, SMRT said it has also brought in a number of retired SMRT staff with experience in network power issues to assist in the investigations. At the same time, SMRT has advanced the procurement of additional condition monitoring systems.

SMRT added that it will continue tests and investigations through the weekend by repeating the full cycle of checks and re-enacting, where possible, the conditions under which the series of power trips were observed.

The transport operator says it is also working with external experts to review the design robustness of the power network, and to find ways to further segment it in order to avoid a similar network-wide power failure.

Yesterday (July 9) the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said it would hire an independent consultant specialising in transit power systems. The consultant will assess the overall condition of the entire power supply infrastructure and other railway trackside installations for the North-South and East-West lines.

SMRT said that a defective train is “highly unlikely” to be the cause of Tuesday’s service disruption on the North-South and East-West lines.

Instead, it is now working with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to continue investigations into the possible degradation in the insulation of a power substation, a power cable or a third rail.

Until the root cause can be conclusively determined, SMRT says it will be taking all possible precautionary and preventive measures to safeguard the system in terms of safety and service reliability.

In the press statement, the Chairman of the SMRT Board of Directors, Koh Yong Guan, also issued a public apology.

“The SMRT Board apologises for the disruption that affected the entire North-South and East-West Lines on 7 July. The Board and Management of SMRT take full responsibility for the disruption.

“It is of great concern to us that so many commuters were affected by this disruption during the evening peak hours when many were making their way back home. In particular, we apologise to our Muslim commuters who were returning home to break fast. The Board gives its full support to the management and staff of SMRT to establish the root cause of the incident as quickly as possible, and to prevent a recurrence.” ― Today