Tuesday's breakdown on Bukit Panjang LRT caused by dislodged train part

Collector shoes, located on a train's undercarriage, make constant contact with the power-supplying third rail. SMRT yesterday said that Tuesday's breakdown of the Bukit Panjang LRT was the third case of a shoe coming dislodged, thus breaking contact with the third rail, in five months. The two most recent incidents happened to new trains that were delivered just last June.

Tuesday's incident occurred during the evening peak hour, in the midst of a heavy downpour. A train on the system stalled between Phoenix and Bukit Panjang stations at 7:06pm. The ensuing power trip affected trains throughout the LRT system. Passengers on the stalled train had to disembark and walk on the tracks in the rain to the nearest station.

SMRT, which deployed buses to ferry an estimated 10,000 commuters affected by the disruption, tried to fix the glitch but its efforts were hampered by heavy rain and lightning. Service finally resumed at 8:33pm.

SMRT Vice President (Circle Line and Bukit Panjang LRT) Chia Chun Wah yesterday said, "Our investigation team traced the cause of the power trip on the Bukit Panjang LRT system to a dislodged collector shoe. We are still investigating how (it) got dislodged."

Rail industry watchers said the undulating terrain and sharp corners along the LRT's alignment could exert undue pressure on collector shoes. The line has been problematic since it opened 16 years ago, breaking down numerous times despite huge efforts to address its dependability issues. Just last month, the system was down for 24 hours because of an electrical fire.