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Train cracks: Routine matter spun into controversy, says Khaw

SINGAPORE — In his first public comments since news broke last week that 26 China-made SMRT trains were found to have hairline cracks, Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said the cracks were a routine matter that had been “mis-spun into a controversy”.

Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan inspecting a fixed bolster on an SMRT train that has a hairline crack, at Bishan Depot on July 12, 2016. Photo: Ooi Boon Keong

Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan inspecting a fixed bolster on an SMRT train that has a hairline crack, at Bishan Depot on July 12, 2016. Photo: Ooi Boon Keong

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SINGAPORE — In his first public comments since news broke last week that 26 China-made SMRT trains were found to have hairline cracks, Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said the cracks were a routine matter that had been “mis-spun into a controversy”. 

Had the hairline cracks found on the trains compromised safety or service availability, the authorities would have released the information “immediately”, he told reporters on Tuesday (July 12) during a media briefing at Bishan Depot. 

Mr Khaw, who is also Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure, linked the news — broken by Hong Kong’s FactWire news agency — to factions in the city with an anti-China political agenda. Having read various analyses on the controversy, Mr Khaw said: “We are caught in a crossfire and there are factions in Hong Kong who wanted to cause some difficulties for mainland China. I have no inside information on whether that is true or not, but it’s possible.” 

“Unfortunately, we become a convenient bullet and collateral damage. Whatever it is, it is of legitimate concern to Singaporeans and we have to address them.”

Last week, after it was reported that the 26 MRT trains were to be sent back to their manufacturers Japanese train-maker Kawasaki Heavy Industries and CSR Sifang in Qingdao, China, for repairs, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) had said that the hairline cracks were due to “localised impurity in the aluminium car-body material” during the manufacturing process and that the trains remained safe for service

In 2009, the two firms, together with Kawasaki’s Singapore subsidiary, had bagged a S$369 million contract to supply 22 six-car trains for the North-South and East-West Lines.

SMRT subsequently ordered another 13 trains of the same model.

Around 27 months after the trains were put into service, a routine check in July 2013 revealed hairline cracks on the bolster — an aluminium alloy structure supporting the train car body, which rests on the undercarriage attached to the wheels. By then, the fleet had covered an average of 300,000 km per train on the tracks. 

The LTA told the contractor to replace the entire car-body shell under warranty, and started shipping the defective trains back to China — one at a time — for repairs from July 2014. 

To date, five trains have been fixed and returned to service. A sixth train is currently undergoing repair works. 

During the briefing on Tuesday, LTA deputy chief executive Chua Chong Kheng said most of the cracks (95 per cent) were less than 30cm, while two bolsters were found with 40 to 50cm cracks. These train cars were among the earliest to be sent back to China.

Following this episode, the contractor has changed its bolster supplier from the China-based Longkou Conglin to Japanese firm Kobe Steel, said Mr Chua.

After all the trains have been repaired by 2019, LTA chief executive Chew Men Leong said the authorities would review the matter and determine whether there was a case for “further compensation”.  The LTA also noted that the cracks found on the train had no relation to any train delays longer than five minutes. 

Addressing online chatter about the authorities’ delay in releasing the news, Mr Khaw reiterated that the cracks did not pose a safety concern, and noted that the layman did not understand the difference between a “safe” crack and a “serious” one. 

“On hindsight, one can say a lesson to be learnt is that a seemingly routine matter in mischievous hands can be mis-spun into a controversy that affects all. Had you come out (earlier), then it could have been avoided … (but) at that time, you have to weigh the downside of coming out with much ado about nothing when it’s not serious and cause unnecessary panic,” Mr Khaw said, adding that the defective trains will be pulled from service if safety is compromised.

Acknowledging that the authorities will have to step up checks on new shipments,Mr Chua added: “In this instance, it’s not a case of a lack of checks, and the cracks developed after certain time of operation.”

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