Ho Ching commends SMRT’s “all of company approach” as EWL services resume

SINGAPORE: Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s wife, Ho Ching, has added her voice to the chorus of appreciation for the SMRT team that worked to restore rail services along the East-West Line (EWL) as services returned to normal on Tuesday (Oct 1).

The disruption began on Sept 25, when train services were halted between the Jurong East and Buona Vista stations. According to SMRT, the issue was caused by a fault in a KHI train that had been in service for more than 35 years.

The train emitted smoke en route to the Ulu Pandan Depot, which led to significant damage to the power cables and triggered a power trip, bringing services to a standstill.

To accommodate the thousands of affected commuters, SMRT implemented shuttle trains and bridging bus services between the stations. Initial expectations were that full services would resume by Monday, Sept 30.

However, on Sept 29, SMRT announced the need for additional time to conduct safety checks after discovering new cracks along the tracks. Late on Sept 30, SMRT confirmed that train services between Buona Vista and Jurong East would be restored the following day.

The company also advised that trains between the Dover and Clementi stations would run at a reduced speed of 40 km per hour from Oct 1 to 3 as a precautionary measure following the extensive restoration works.

Commuters were advised to plan for an additional five minutes of travel time when heading westbound on the EWL.

Taking to Facebook on the eve of the full reopening, Mdm Ho praised the commitment and teamwork demonstrated by the entire SMRT staff.

She highlighted how the company’s “all of company approach” saw employees from all departments and roles—ranging from finance and HR to legal and engineering—come together to support operations and help direct passengers during the disruption.

The ex-Temasek chief wrote: “Whether finance manager or HR staff, all the management and backroom staff would turn up to help direct passengers at the stations or help organise alternative transport, etc., while the engineering and maintenance folks would work on rectifying the tracks, trains or other technical challenges.

Even the chief legal officer of SMRT would turn up on the frontline to help. This is an all of company approach in addressing any major incident, regardless of rank or role, each contributing wherever and whenever they can to help the passengers. Well done!”

The restoration of full services on the EWL has been met with relief from commuters, and SMRT has assured the public that it will continue to closely monitor train operations to ensure safety and reliability in the coming days.