If you’ve been annoyed by the peak hour delays on the North-South Line over two days in a row last week, be prepared for the possibility of more. SMRT has explained that signalling checks on the line have to be conducted all day during weekdays to make sure that any issues arising with the new signalling system are ironed out.
The North-South Line is the country’s oldest, so it’s not like the new lines, where testing can be carried out with a single type of train before operations begin.
“As there are limited engineering hours each day (from 1.30am to 4.30am), it is not possible for us to accumulate adequate testing hours if we do not run the new signalling system during weekdays,” SMRT said. It also mentioned that the June school holiday period was the best time for engineers to conduct the checks.
“We have to conduct all-day performance checks to work out teething issues that may rise when a new signalling system is introduced to a train network.”
All in all, just beware of more potential delays as signalling tests continue.
