Faulty train caused ‘extensive damage’ to track between Clementi and Dover, leading to power trip and disruption

SINGAPORE: Along a 1.6km stretch of tracks between two MRT stations, engineers found 34 rail breaks – part of the damage that led to an ongoing disruption which began on Wednesday (Sep 25) morning and could extend into Friday, with full services estimated to be resumed in “a few days”, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA). 
LTA and train operator SMRT gave further updates on the cause and extent of the damage on Thursday.
It was a faulty train that caused “extensive damage” to the train track and equipment between Clementi and Dover stations, which caused the power trip that led to the East-West Line disruption.
No trains will run between Jurong East and Buona Vista MRT stations for the rest of Thursday. LTA and SMRT said they hope to restore partial services on Friday, with a single-line train shuttle service that will operate between the two stations every 20 minutes.
At about 9am on Wednesday, a faulty first-generation Kawasaki Heavy Industries train that has been in service for more than 35 years was returning to Ulu Pandan Depot when its axle box dislodged and dropped, said SMRT and LTA. 
This caused one bogie – or an undercarriage with wheels – to come off the running rail between Dover and Clementi stations.
In turn, this severely damaged the track and track equipment, with 34 rail breaks across 1.6km of westbound tracks between Clementi and Dover stations. Three machines that are used to divert trains to different tracks, a third rail that supplies power, as well as power cables and rail clips were also damaged.

This is what caused the power trip at about 9.25am on Wednesday, disrupting train services between Boon Lay and Queenstown MRT stations, affecting about 358,000 commuters. 
The power trip also caused another train near Clementi station to stall. About 850 commuters on that train had to walk on the tracks and be guided back to the station platform. 
The first faulty train has since been withdrawn to Ulu Pandan Depot. All the Kawasaki Heavy Industries trains running on Thursday have passed axle box functionality checks, said LTA and SMRT.