Singapore World Class LRT service suspended after power trip and fire

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An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:

Services along the Bukit Panjang LRT will be suspended until Tuesday morning, following an electrical room fire at Senja station on Monday evening (Mar 9).

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Fire engines at Senja LRT station (Photo: Goh Chiew Tong)

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SINGAPORE: Services along the Bukit Panjang LRT will be suspended until Tuesday morning (Mar 10) SMRT announced on Monday evening.


In a statement to the media, SMRT said a power trip between Pending and Jelapang stations at about 5.30pm caused train services to be disrupted on the entire line. Separately, a fire broke out at Senja station's plant room at about 5.45pm, where power-tie breakers were found to be damaged.


In a statement on Facebook at about 7pm, SMRT said: "Services on the BPLRT will not resume this evening. We are working to recover service by tomorrow morning and are investigating the cause of the incident. Free bus and bus bridging services will continue. We ask commuters to seek alternative transport options."


SMRT added that about 30 buses were deployed for bus bridging services.



In a statement to the media, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said SMRT will be repairing the faulty tie-breakers after hours.
"As a contingency measure for tonight, we have instructed SMRT to deploy replacement buses and service staff at the stations to assist commuters with their travel," an LTA spokesperson said.


The public transport operator first announced that there would be no train services in both directions at 6.01pm. Public and shuttle buses are available at affected stations, it added.


The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) told Channel NewsAsia that it received a call at 5.47pm about a fire. SCDF said the blaze involved a circuit breaker inside the electrical room, and was put out with a fire extinguisher. No one was injured, and there was no evacuation, SCDF said. The cause of the fire is under investigation, it added.





Videos and pictures posted on social media showed people walking along the LRT tracks on Monday evening. SMRT confirmed commuters had to evacuate a train between Petir and Pending stations.


Just after 6:45pm, SMRT had said the fire alarm was activated at Senja station at about 6pm.


It earlier SMRT posted on Facebook that a "traction power trip between Pending and Petir stations" had caused the disruption along Bukit Panjang LRT.



This breakdown comes after SMRT pledged to do better on rail network reliability, following a spate of breakdowns in the past two weeks.


Mdm Wang Xiao Jin, 68, said she saw smoke rising up two floors at the station at about 5.40pm, when she was about to pick her grandson up from childcare. "It was very, very smelly," she said of the fire. "I usually take the LRT to the next stop, it takes just five minutes. But (today) I had to walk instead and it took 15 minutes," she said.


Mr Teng Poh Tian, who runs a stall inside Senja station, said the fire took place outside the station so he was "not in danger". "But I have to close my shop early because no one can enter the LRT station now. I normally close at 11pm, now I can't do my business," he said.


Ms Shirley Lye, who is a resident in the Senja area, said she would have to make alternative arrangements as a result of the disruption. "I take the LRT to work, so (I have) no choice but to take the bus to Choa Chu Kang instead. More checks should be done so breakdowns are not so frequent," she said.


A Bukit Panjang resident who identified herself as "Susie" said disruptions like these are "stressful" because of the last-minute adjustments to travel plans.


Ms Vegas Ong said SMRT needs to improve its system. "When it keeps breaking down, it is very inconvenient for us," she said.
Commuters also took to social media to express frustration about the latest rush hour breakdown.





Close to 9:40pm on Monday, SMRT posted on Facebook that plans are being made for more buses and additional staff to be on the ground to assist commuters on Tuesday. It added that it is "very sorry" for inconvenience caused to commuters.


- CNA/dl


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