Bukit Panjang LRT line shut for the night after power trip, fire

SINGAPORE — A power trip followed by a fire this evening (March 9) led to services on the whole Bukit Panjang LRT line being shut down for the night, to frustration of commuters.

In an update just before midnight, SMRT advised customers to make alternative transport arrangements for early morning travel on Tuesday (March 10), and said it will provide bus bridging services at all LRT stations along Service A and B of the line.  

“Commuters can also board for free the regular SMRT bus services at designated bus stops. Additional SMRT staff will be deployed on ground to assist commuters,” said  SMRT Trains managing director Lee Ling Wee said in a statement.

The operator would provide an update at 5am on Tuesday, he added. Information will be available on the SMRT website, SMRT and LTA Facebook and Twitter accounts, LTA Traffic News and MyTransport.SG.

In an earlier statement, SMRT said a power trip between Pending station and Jelapang Station occurred around 5.30pm, disrupting services and resulting in commuters on a stalled train between Pending and Petir stations having disembark and walk on the tracks to Pending station. Free bus services and bus bridging services were activated.

As engineers worked to resume service, the fire alarm at Senja station went off at about 5.45pm. Smoke was reportedly seen at the station’s plant room and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) was activated. Power tie-breakers at Senja station were later found to be damaged.

SCDF, which sent a fire engine, three Red Rhinos, two fire bikes, an ambulance, and four support vehicles to the station, said the fire involved a circuit breaker inside the electrical room, and was put out with a fire extinguisher. No one was injured and no one was evacuated, and the cause of the fire is under investigation, it added.

Facebook user Ab Tan uploaded a video showing trapped commuters evacuating from an LRT train by walking on the tracks. When contacted, SMRT verified the authenticity of the video and confirmed it was of today’s LRT disruption. The video was taken when the commuters were being led to Pending station by an SMRT officer, said SMRT.

At about 7pm, SMRT announced it would not resume services on the line for the evening and would work to resume services this morning. It said it had deployed 30 buses for the free bus bridging services and would deploy more buses as well as staff on the ground if necessary.

“SMRT is investigating the root cause of the incident. We are very sorry for the inconvenience caused to commuters,” SMRT Trains managing director Lee Ling Wee said in a statement.