Overview

• The Land Transport Authority on June 3 concluded its probe and imposed a S$3 million penalty on SMRT for the six-day service suspension between Jurong East and Buona Vista.
• Investigators determined that degraded grease in a first-generation Kawasaki train’s axle box led to overheating, disintegration of its chevron springs and the subsequent derailment.
• SMRT twice extended the axle box overhaul interval beyond the required 500,000 km—first to 575,000 km in 2022 and then to 750,000 km in 2024—without mandatory LTA notification.
• Approximately 2.6 million commuters were affected, prompting SMRT to deploy free public buses, bridging shuttle buses and limited shuttle train services.
• SMRT has adopted data-analytics monitoring for axle box temperatures and the LTA has reinforced its oversight of operators’ maintenance schedules.