Breakdown of Bukit Panjang LRT train caused by gear failure

The breakdown of a Bukit Panjang LRT (BPLRT) train on Oct 22 was caused by a gear failure in one of its wheel assemblies, Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat said in Parliament on Nov 11, citing initial findings from ongoing investigations.

- Vanessa Paige Chelvan

The incident, which occurred during the evening peak hour, halted LRT service between Bukit Panjang and Choa Chu Kang stations.

As a result of the gear failure, two wheels on the damaged assembly could not rotate normally, and friction between the rubber tires and the guideway caused the tires to deflate, Mr Chee said in response to a question on what caused the breakdown.

This led to a power trip after a bar below the train carriage came into contact with the power rail, damaging it. The power rail supplies power to trains.

A recovery train deployed to move the stalled train back to the BPLRT depot was unsuccessful because of a loss of traction power.

BPLRT operator SMRT ended train services along the affected stretch about 1½ hours earlier than usual to carry out repairs, and service resumed the next morning.

Ms Yeo Wan Ling (Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC) asked Mr Chee whether a "root-cause analysis" of the breakdown on Oct 22 was done to rule out "systemic issues".

Reiterating that the cause of the incident is still under investigation, Mr Chee said the last time a similar incident affecting the gears of a wheel assembly happened was in 2010.

"That was quite some time ago, and it hasn't recurred since," he said, adding that so far, there are no suggestions that "there is something systemic in this particular instance, but we will take a look more closely during the investigations".