Circle Line to resume normal operations on Jun 27 after early completion of tunnel maintenance works

SINGAPORE: Train services on the Circle Line (CCL) will resume normal operations on Tuesday (Jun 27), after the early completion of tunnel maintenance works for seven CCL stations. 

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) had earlier announced service changes at seven CCL stations to facilitate additional tunnel maintenance works. 

“We are happy to report that these works are progressing ahead of schedule and will be completed by tonight,” said LTA in a Facebook post on Monday. 

With the completion of the maintenance works, all train services on the CCL will resume normal operations from Tuesday, including train services at the seven affected stations, said LTA. 

TUNNEL STRENGTHENING MAINTENANCE

Last month, LTA said routine inspections found that a “small segment” of the tunnel between Promenade and Nicoll Highway stations had been “subject to greater pressure”.

As a result, train services at seven stations – Dhoby Ghaut, Bras Basah, Esplanade, Promenade, Nicoll Highway, Marina Bay and Bayfront – were adjusted in June and July because of the extra maintenance work. 

An LTA spokesperson told CNA then that the pressure issue was picked up during its tunnel monitoring and inspection regime.

LTA said then it had assessed that the affected tunnel segment posed no safety risks to CCL train operations.

Monitoring instruments were set up in the affected segment of the CCL tunnel to measure the tunnel movement levels around the clock, to ensure they were within safe levels, said the spokesperson. 

The extra maintenance work to rectify the “higher than projected” ground pressure would include the installation of extra steel plates as an “additional strengthening measure”.

As certain tunnel stretches are located in reclaimed land consisting of marine clay, some settlement can still be expected for some time after construction and as such, these stretches are monitored even more closely by LTA.

The spokesperson added the pressure issue had only been detected at the particular CCL tunnel stretch.

All underground tunnels are inspected regularly by a team of engineering, track and infrastructural professionals, and LTA has a regular monitoring and inspection regime in place for all rail tunnels.