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LTA, SMRT begin works to boost North-South, East-West Lines’ power supply system

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) and SMRT have begun works to boost the North-South and East-West Lines’ (NSEWL) power supply system.

The power supply renewal works are expected to complete in early 2020s, the statutory board and the train operator said in a joint statement on Friday (5 October).

The improvement to the system will enable better prediction of faults and shorten recovery time during a disruption.

About 1,300km of power cables, 250km of fibre optic cables along the NSEWL’s tracks, 206 power transformers, 172 switchboards and equipment in 171 sub-stations will be replaced.

A condition monitoring system will be implemented for the two Lines. It will monitor the condition of power supply equipment and generate trend reports by taking into account real-time information such as voltage and temperature.

The NSEWL’s high voltage network will be reconfigured such that no single point of failure will disrupt the entire rail network.

Disconnector switches will be installed to ensure that in the event of a power substation failure, the fault will be localised.

During the power renewal works, back-up standby generators and mobile substations will be deployed.

“More early closures and late openings of MRT stations along the NSEWL will give the project teams additional time to carry out the upgrading works. We will keep commuters informed on the works regularly and seek their understanding,” the joint statement said.

The enhancement to the power supply system is the fourth core renewal project aimed at upgrading the rail network.

The replacement of wooden sleepers and the third rail were completed in December 2016 and September 2017, respectively. The NSEWL is currently transitioning to the new Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) signalling system.

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