Four MRT stations on East-West Line to close early in November for replacement work

SINGAPORE: Four MRT stations on the Tuas West Extension of the East-West Line will close early on two Saturdays in November to facilitate the replacement of electrical components. 

The affected stations - Gul Circle, Tuas Crescent, Tuas West Road and Tuas Link - will close at 11pm on Nov 21 and Nov 28, SMRT said in a media release on Tuesday (Nov 17).

It was announced last month that all 22kV circuit breaker trip coils along the Tuas West Extension will be replaced, following the MRT disruption on Oct 14 that was caused by faulty components.

"The early closures along the TWE (Tuas West Extension) in November will accelerate trip coil replacement and enable works to be completed by end 2020," it added.

READ: Timeline – How a power fault caused an hours-long disruption on three MRT lines on Oct 14

SMRT said that the timings of the last trains departing from the affected stations during the planned closures will vary.

It advised commuters to check the departure times at the stations or on SMRT's website and social media platforms.

"During the early closure period, commuters can take existing public bus services, such as services 182M, 192, 193 and 254, as alternative transport options around the Joo Koon and Tuas Link areas," the train operator added.

READ: MRT disruption on Oct 14 prompts system overhaul, with early weekend closures from November

The Oct 14 service disruption on the North-South, East-West and Circle lines affected 15 trains and 123,000 commuters.

In its report on the incident released on Oct 28, the Land Transport Authority had said the disruption was caused by the "occurrence of concurrent faults", starting with a faulty power cable on the Tuas West Extension.

LTA said then that its main contractor, Alstom, will replace 150km of power cables and more than 100 circuit breaker components along the Tuas West Extension.