MRT reliability up in Q1, more frequent delays on LRT lines
MRT trains went longer without delays in the first quarter of 2024 as the overall reliability of the rail network improved, latest figures from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) show.
That said, the data also showed that the Circle Line (CCL) and the two LRT lines fared worse than before.
On average, MRT trains clocked 2.32 million train-km without service delays that lasted more than five minutes in the 12 months ending in March. This is higher than the 2.08 million train-km between delays in 2023.
The reliability figures are published by the LTA on a quarterly basis using a 12-month moving average of mean kilometres between failures (MKBF) – an engineering measure of rail reliability.
The latest report published on July 11 showed that the CCL, operated by SMRT, was the least reliable among five MRT lines.
CCL trains went an average of 1.03 million train-km between delays, or 181,000 train-km below 2023’s performance and a further slide down from 2022’s 1.84 million train-km.
The Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) was not included in the report as the line is not fully open. LTA has said current operation figures will not accurately represent its reliability when compared with existing lines. The fifth and final stage of the TEL is expected to be ready in 2026.
LTA’s latest figures also showed that both LRT lines took hits to their reliability.
The Sengkang-Punggol LRT, operated by SBS Transit, posted an MKBF of 814,000 car-km, compared with 1.22 million car-km in the whole of 2023. The Bukit Panjang LRT (BPLRT), run by SMRT, managed 173,000 car-km, down from 248,000 car-km in 2023.
Combined, the two LRT lines managed an average distance of 375,000 car-km between delays in the first quarter of 2024, compared with 546,000 car-km for 2023.
The most reliable MRT line was the Downtown Line operated by SBS Transit. It managed an MKBF of 8.15 million train-km in the first quarter of 2024, compared with 8.12 million train-km for 2023.
The next best performer was the East-West Line, which is managed by SMRT, with 5.05 million train-km in the first quarter of 2024. In 2023, it posted an MKBF of 3.36 million train-km.
The North East Line followed with an MKBF of 2.07 million train-km. The SBS Transit-operated line posted 2.06 million train-km in 2023.
At 1.98 million train-km, the North-South Line, operated by SMRT, equalled what it managed in 2021. This is an improvement from the 1.41 million train-km recorded in 2023.
The North-South and East-West lines are Singapore’s oldest and most utilised MRT lines. Both underwent a renewal programme that began in 2012 and was completed in 2023.
In the first three months of 2024, both the CCL and BPLRT had a service delay that lasted more than 30 minutes.
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