11 defective trains sent back to China repaired and returned to Singapore: LTA
Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan (centre) at the Bishan Depot on Jul 12, 2016. (Photo: Kenneth Lim)
SINGAPORE: Eleven defective trains sent back to China for repairs have been repaired and returned to Singapore, according to an update from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Wednesday (Aug 8).
It was revealed in 2016 that defects were found on 26 North-South and East-West Line China-made SMRT trains.
In its update to Channel NewsAsia, LTA said that to date, 13 of the affected trains have been shipped back to the factory in China for repairs.
Of these, 11 have since been repaired and returned to Singapore, with 10 put into passenger service, said the authority, adding that the 11th train was undergoing testing before being put back into service.
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"Together with SMRT, LTA has been closely monitoring the condition of these trains, and there have been no defects detected since," said LTA.
It added it was working closely with supplier Kawasaki-Sifang to complete rectification works of the remaining trains by December 2019.Â
In 2016, SMRT said it was returning 26 out of 35 of the China-made trains it has used here since 2011 for repairs - after they were found to have cracks on them.
The incident first came to light when Hong Kong news agency FactWire reported that the trains were hidden away to be shipped back to China for the defects to be fixed after they were discovered in 2013.
The C151A-model trains are supplied by Japan-based Kawasaki Heavy Industries and CSR Qingdao Sifang Locomotive and Rolling Stock Company (CSR Sifang) from China.
