Due to the lack of engineering expertise, a Singapore train operator has again unable to find out the cause behind a 7-hour-long train disruption. Earlier on Wednesday (May 3rd), SBS Transit reported a “signal-related” fault at Botanic Gardens station on the Downtown Line. According to media reports, some platform doors at the station were unable to open automatically and this caused train delays as long as 10 minutes per station – with passengers reporting up to 2 hours delay added to their usual trip.
On Wednesday, SBS Transit blamed the signaling system and a day later, signal system company, Siemens, hit back after an investigation confirmed their system was not at fault. SBS Transit embarrassingly retracted their earlier statement and told the media that there was indeed no signal fault.
State media reporters from TodayOnline tried to push the blame to the platform door manufacturer, Faiveley Transport. The government-controlled media wrote that the manufacturer declined to comment on the incident, suggesting that the company is being dodgy and could be somewhat responshible for the fault.
Already in its third day of investigation, SBS Transit and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) are still scratching their heads wondering about the cause despite having repaired the doors already. In a media interview, SBS Transit said:
“The cause of the incident has not been ascertained and will require further investigation.”