Singapore's SMRT fined RM7.9m for six-day MRT disruption in 2024, down from initial RM9.9m

Malay Mail

2 days ago

SINGAPORE, July 26 — Singapore public transport operator SMRT will pay a reduced fine of S$2.4 million (RM7.9 million) over a major six-day MRT disruption on the East-West Line in September 2024, following a review by the Land Transport Authority (LTA). The penalty is S$600,000 less than the initial amount announced in June.
According to The Straits Times, the updated fine was revealed in an LTA statement yesterday.
The regulator said it had considered SMRT's representations and the challenges the operator faced during the incident, including pandemic-related supply chain disruptions that delayed spare parts for train overhauls.
The fine will go into the Public Transport Fund to help lower-income households with commuting costs, said LTA.
SMRT has also been directed to invest at least S$600,000 within a year to strengthen its maintenance capabilities and submit documented proof of the improvements.
'In reaching this decision, LTA took into consideration the considerable challenges SMRT had faced in planning and executing their overhaul regime for the Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) trains,' the authority said, citing the global delays triggered by Covid-19.
The disruption stemmed from a faulty component on a first-generation KHI train that led to a partial derailment between Jurong East and Buona Vista stations on the morning of September 25, 2024. Services were affected until September 30, disrupting about one in six trips each day.
Investigations found that SMRT had extended overhaul intervals without a detailed engineering or risk assessment. The root cause was traced to degraded grease, which led to the detachment of an axle box — a key component connecting the train's wheels — near Dover station. One of the train's bogies derailed as a result, damaging 2.55km of track and trackside infrastructure.
SMRT Trains president Lam Sheau Kai responded in a Facebook post, saying the operator will 'strengthen its direct engagement with original equipment manufacturers of trains and systems' and invest in technical expertise through deeper collaboration.
Lam added that SMRT has long prioritised workforce development and upskilling, and will continue supporting the secondment of LTA engineers — a practice ongoing since 2018.
SMRT is also working with LTA and Alstom to progressively roll out the new R151 trains, with all 106 units expected on the North-South and East-West lines by 2026. As of June 29, 61 R151 trains were in operation. The ageing KHI fleet is set to be retired by September.
The Straits Times reported that LTA had earlier described the original S$3 million fine as 'proportionate', but also took into account SMRT's financial outlay for emergency bus bridging and shuttle services during the disruption, as well as repair costs.
SMRT had submitted its representations on June 6 after receiving LTA's notice of intention to penalise the operator on May 30. The transport regulator reviewed the submission before confirming the revised fine on July 25.
SMRT has 14 days to appeal the penalty to Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow. Asked by The Straits Times whether it would do so, Lam said only that SMRT had 'noted that LTA had considered its representations'.
The S$2.4 million penalty is the second-highest imposed on a rail operator in Singapore's history.
The record fine remains the S$5.4 million SMRT incurred following a 2015 disruption that shut down the entire North-South and East-West lines during evening rush hour.