Maintenance Regime of LRT and MRT Lines That Experienced Recent Disruptions
Ministry of TransportSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns inquiries from Mr Jackson Lam and Associate Professor Jamus Jerome Lim regarding maintenance regimes, engineering upgrades, and rail disruptions occurring between August and September 2025. Mr Jackson Lam sought information on track upgrades and signalling faults, while Associate Professor Jamus Jerome Lim questioned the adequacy of maintenance schedules following LRT power disruptions. Minister of State Jeffrey Siow stated that these concerns were addressed in a comprehensive oral reply during the 22 September 2025 sitting. The response detailed the causes of these breakdowns and outlined measures to improve rail reliability and technical oversight. It also addressed the review of financial penalties for rail operators to ensure accountability and high service standards.
Transcript
75 Mr Jackson Lam asked the Acting Minister for Transport (a) what long-term engineering upgrades are LTA, SBS and SMRT planning for point machines and track components, including sensors, on all MRT lines; (b) what are the current inspection and maintenance regimes for the East-West Line (EWL) point systems; and (c) whether warning signs had preceded the EWL track point fault on 6 August 2025.
76 Mr Jackson Lam asked the Acting Minister for Transport (a) how many signalling-related disruptions have occurred on the North-South MRT Line in the past year; (b) what is the aggregate duration of such disruptions and the number of commuters impacted; (c) what caused the 2 September 2025 fault between Woodlands and Yishun MRT stations; and (d) what remedial steps are planned to address such cause.
77 Assoc Prof Jamus Jerome Lim asked the Acting Minister for Transport with regard to the two power fault incidents on the Sengkang-Punggol LRT between 12 August 2025 and 15 August 2025 (a) whether lapses in routine maintenance have contributed to the breakdowns; and (b) if not, whether LTA considers the current maintenance schedule adequate.
Mr Jeffrey Siow: These questions have been addressed in the oral reply to Parliamentary Questions Nos 19 to 24 at the 22 September 2025 Parliament Sitting. [Please refer to "Causes for Recent MRT and LRT Breakdowns, and Measures to Improve Rail Reliability and Review Financial Penalties", Official Report, 22 September 2025, Vol 96, Issue 2, Oral Answers to Questions section.]