Track maintenance is an important aspect of SMRT’s rail operations, and it is done daily to ensure commuters can enjoy a safe and comfortable ride in our network.
In the last few years, we have significantly increased the number of train trips to meet commuters’ demand for higher train frequency. This also means we have to step up track maintenance activities.
However, we assure residents living in affected vicinities that every effort is made to minimise inconvenience.
To check if there are track maintenance activities in your district this week, please click here for the latest schedule.
SMRT’s MRT network consists of 257.8km of tracks, covering the North-South, East-West (NSEW) and Circle lines. About 74 per cent of tracks on the NSEW lines are above ground level, which means there is noise involved in maintenance works due to heavy machinery used.
Tracks can only be maintained after passenger service hours. Any maintenance during passenger service hours will disrupt service and inconvenience commuters. When the train network closes, our maintenance staff have less than four hours (between 1am and 4.30am) to complete these works.
Activities such as rail grinding and rail replacement involve heavy machinery, hammering, cutting and/or joining rails with use of a generator to provide power. Occasionally, we employ a Tunnel Ventilation Fan to provide ventilation for tunnel work. All these activities can cause considerable noise.
Yes. SMRT has worked with the Land Transport Authority to establish a monitoring system to measure the noise generated by trains at selected locations close to major residential estates. The measurements are taken every three months. With the results, we can identify locations where the noise levels are close to the guidelines set, and prioritise preventive maintenance works at these locations to ensure these guidelines are not breached.
Immediately after track grinding, the initial noise level will be louder as it takes a while for the new grinding marks on the track surface to smoothen out. To reduce inconvenience to residents, track grinding works in both directions along the affected particular sections are completed within a couple of days with minimal time lapse.
To address railway noise, the Land Transport Authority has embarked on a noise measurement study along the entire length of all elevated MRT tracks island-wide, which will cover more than 500 blocks of flats located close to elevated viaducts or turnouts.