With the completion of sleeper replacement works, speed limits on the East-West Line (EWL) will return to the normal 80 km/h, allowing for faster train rides. Don’t be too happy though. With faster train movements, we should expect greater wear-and-tear, likely resulting in more breakdowns in the system overall. Train faults, track faults, power faults, sleepers sure also can fault.
That we can expect more breakdowns should not be surprising. Train reliability has increased in the last year or so. It happened during the period when sleeper replacement works were being carried out. While there may be other reasons for the improved reliability, the slower travelling speeds due to sleeper replacement works could also be a contributing factor.
While sleepers were being replaced, the incidences of major breakdowns did not lessen in numbers. Perhaps with the new sleepers, we can hope to see fewer major breakdowns regardless of the overall train reliability.
I suppose, getting to work at all is more important than being late for work. So good thing if they an reduce major breakdowns.
(This post, of course, is a tongue-in-cheek response to LTA’s and SMRT’s proud achievement of having completed their sleeper replacement project. It took three long years to replace 188K sleepers. *clap*)
Where in the developed world do you get “track congestion” in a metro system? Singapore!! Daily!! Not sure whether anyone is ashamed that this announcement is made EVERY morning at Jurong East station.