Although the trains operating in the new Downtown Line 1 (DTL1) may be fully automated, the amount of work done to facilitate a smooth journey for commuters is not small.
According to TODAY, at least 180 emergency drills have been conducted in the last few months on DTL1 leading up to its opening on Dec. 22.
Some of the measures in place include alarms at the operations control centre, which will be triggered when faults are detected so that station staff can report any problems. Trains are also equipped with automated mechanisms which are able to bring them to a stop at the next station when there is a problem with the signalling system.
Furthermore, emergency readiness exercises were conducted on service staff to prepare them to better handle any failures in order to keep response time to a minimum while ensuring safety of passengers. On the engineering side, equipment checks have also been conducted by technicians and engineers.
In case of a breakdown, shuttle bus service routes were also tested.
Also, DTL1 is free for all commuters till Jan. 1, 2014.
Photo: Land Transport Authority’s Facebook
Source: TODAY
