Hairline cracks were found on eleven first generation Light Rail Transit (LRT) trains from the Sengkang-Punggol Line during a fleet-wide inspection by SBS Transit in July.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) and SBS Transit announced this information during a joint press release on Friday (9 September) and said that the affected trains have been in service since the LRT line started in 2003.
They also said that trains were immediately withdrawn from passengers service after the detection of hairline cracks. However, six of them had been restored and returned to service. The rest are expected to be back on service by mid-October.
LTA and SBS Transit noted that the crack on the trains were found on the boogie frames, in which it do not compromise its weight bearing property, since the core function of the boogie frame is to support the guidance system of the vehicle.
It was also said that LRT services have not been affected as there are 57 (Light Rail Vehicle) LRVs in the Sengkang Punggol LRT fleet. A maximum of 36 trains is said to be deployed at any one time.
SBS Transit has also been inspecting all LRVs on a weekly basis for any new defects.
