Issues
The operation of the Bukit Panjang LRT has been plagued by problems since its opening in 1999. On 6 November 1999, the trains were unable to move as planned and frequently halted in between stations. Software glitches during initial running resulted in frequent delays in service and incidents of varying severity.
It was reported on 10 January 2011 that the Bukit Panjang LRT had broken down 32 times between 2008 and 2010. In each incident, disruption to service exceeded 10 minutes. In the worst of these incidents in September 2009, commuters had to endure a four-hour disruption.
Since the power system upgrade done by SMRT in October 2011, there have been no further major disruption on the Bukit Panjang LRT.
There have been two serious accidents since its opening:
- In 2000, two LRT trains crashed head-to-back at Phoenix Station causing minor injuries. The operator was fined S$10,000.
- In 2002, a dislodged train wheel caused the entire shutdown of the system for six days, as it crippled the power system and the rail at the incident was damaged and had to be repaired.
Other incidents include:
- Train service was disrupted on 24 April 2010 due to a power trip caused by lightning. As a result, two trains with a total of 100 passengers were stalled between Phoenix and Bukit Panjang LRT stations. About 5,000 passengers were affected by the disruption.
- 1,600 passengers being affected on 17 May 2011 by a one hour long disruption due to an electrical fault that occurred somewhere along the system at Keat Hong, South View and Choa Chu Kang stations. At one point, 20 passengers on a train that stalled before Choa Chu Kang station had to get off and walk on a 1.5-metre emergency walkway for about 10 metres.
- 1,420 passengers being affected on 7 June 2011 by a one hour long disruption caused by a signaling fault between Phoenix and Bukit Panjang stations.
- On 22 April 2012, V111 stalled in between Senja and Bukit Panjang stations while on Service C, disrupting Services A and C for a few hours. Around 20 passengers had to be evacuated and walked to Senja station.
In each case of disruption, SMRT activates bus bridging services to serve other LRT passengers. It allows passengers who were unable to complete their journey to any Passenger Service Centre over the next three days for a refund.
There have also been over a hundred disruptions in service which still continues today, the most recent being on 23 August 2011. The poor operation had no bearing on the operation of the Sengkang LRT Line and Punggol LRT Line being awarded to rival company SBS Transit and rival manufacturer Mitsubishi Heavy Industries as those contracts were placed prior to Bukit Panjang LRT commencing operation. Most of the problems have been addressed and ironed out since.
The Bukit Panjang LRT was operating at a loss for the first five years. This has raised complaints from the public who argue that the system is a white elephant.
It was also reported that residents were unhappy with the withdrawal of feeder bus services operating in the area since the opening of the Bukit Panjang LRT, and were further aggravated by the unreliability of the service. After lobbying to Members of the Parliament, 2 feeder services, Services 920 and 922, were reinstated.
It has also been seen that all LRT trains had their white wheel covers removed.
Read more about this topic: Bukit Panjang LRT Line
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