SMRT acknowledges initial slow progress in escalator upgrade programme

SINGAPORE — Rail operator SMRT on Wednesday (May 15) acknowledged that progress was initially fairly slow in its programme to upgrade 233 escalators at 42 stations on the North-South Line and East-West Line.

Nearly three years into the projected five-year programme, only about a quarter of the escalators — 54 — have been upgraded so far, with work on another 21 escalators in progress, SMRT said in a media statement.

However, it also said that “lessons learnt in the initial phase have allowed us to speed up the remaining refurbishment works”.

In August 2016, SMRT partnered with elevator and escalator company Otis Singapore for the first major overhaul of escalators since MRT operations started more than 30 years ago.

The upgrading programme is estimated to be completed by the end of 2021, though SMRT highlighted the possibility that some of the work may be completed beyond that date.

The new commuter-friendly features of the new escalators include: Indicator lights that show the direction the escalator is moving and a dual-speed setting to increase efficiency during peak hours.

Safety features include: Skirt deflectors, designed to prevent commuters from standing too close to the edge of the escalator step, along with a handrail speed-monitoring system, which will detect when the handrail not moving at the same speed as the escalator steps and bring the escalator to a safe stop.

SMRT said that initial progress had been slow because Otis had to revise its upgrading plan several times.

More than 1,000 parts and major components of each escalator need to be replaced, it said.

As a result, the first four stations to undergo upgrading — Ang Mo Kio, Tanah Merah, Tiong Bahru and Tanjong Pagar — took about eight months for each escalator refurbishment to be completed.

Mr Siu Yow Wee, vice-president of SMRT Building and Facilities, said that at any one time, only one escalator at each station will be refurbished except for bigger stations with more escalators.

“Together with Otis, we are doing our best to minimise inconvenience to commuters as we upgrade our escalators,” he added.

An Otis spokesman said that it took the company eight months to gain a better understanding on the upgrading plans and the resources it required.

SMRT said: “We seek commuters’ understanding and patience as we continue with the refurbishment work.”

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story said that the handrail speed-monitoring system is designed to move at the same speed as commuters on the escalator. This is inaccurate. SMRT has clarified that the system is designed to detect when the handrail is not moving at the same speed as the escalator steps and bring the escalator to a safe stop.