Inferior composite wood used for 188,000 sleepers of Singapore’s MRT train which can hardly withstand the crushing weight of trains and result in train derailment

Was inferior composite wood used for MRT sleepers?

August 5th, 2013 |  Author: Editorial

On 14 May 2013, ST reported that SMRT and LTA will accelerate a programme to replace timber sleepers on the ageing North-South and East-West lines to improve the resilience of the rail network in Singapore (‘LTA, SMRT to accelerate sleeper replacement on North-South and East-West lines‘). It said that SMRT aims to replace all 188,000 timber sleepers on the North-South Line by 2015, and on the East-West Line by 2016. On Saturday (3 Aug), SPH’s bilingual news and entertainment portal (www.omy.sg) published an interesting article [Link] claiming the timber sleepers have been discovered to be made of sub-standard wood. The article claims to have heard from an insider in the wood industry. It seems that some company has bought or otherwise acquired the old MRT timber sleepers (i.e. the timber sleepers that are to be gradually replaced by 2015 in the case of the North-South Line and 2016 in the case of the East-West Line). The company wants to cut these timber sleepers into smaller pieces to manufacture other products. As the sleepers used for the Malaysian railway line can last for decades with no decay, the company quite fairly assumed the sleepers used for our MRT network to be of similar quality. However the company was shocked when it cut the sleepers. They found that they are not made of hard wood at all. They are in fact made of composite wood. Furthermore, the wood has decayed. Apparently the company is not so much concerned about the loss of their investment in the “timber” sleepers as they are that such inferior wood has been used as sleepers for Singapore’s rail network. The lousy sleepers made of composite wood can hardly withstand the crushing weight of trains. If enough sleepers disintegrated, the rail would sink. That would split the track and signals would be interrupted. Train derailment might result. Maintenance staff replacing the wooden sleepers on the train tracks near Clementi MRT station. Rail operator SMRT and rail authority LTA will accelerate a programme to replace so-called timber sleepers on the ageing North-South and East-West lines to improve the resilience of the rail network. (ST Photo)

The article posed a number of questions to LTA:

1. Does the Govt know about this? Is it the reason SMRT and LTA want to change the sleepers?

2. Who purchased the inferior sleepers?

3. Was this the cause of the intermittent signal interruption problems in the MRT network in the past?

4. Was the slowing of our trains due to the realisation that the tracks are lined with inferior sleepers?

5. Is it a misunderstanding? In other words, are there in fact no problems at all with the sleepers?08.03.2013

震惊！地铁轨道用烂木当枕木？

Categories: 时事民生

http://blog.omy.sg/tech/archives/6296

刚知道一个消息，是木业人士才会知道的行业内幕。

一家公司收购了本地地铁旧轨道枕木后，想要剖开这些大木块，以便加工制作成其他产品。

他们知道一般新马两地的火车轨道的枕木可以耐上几十年也不朽坏，所以没考虑到有什么问题。

但是，在切割了木块之后，他们大吃一惊！

原来，这些枕木不是经过防腐处理的真正硬木，而是其他杂木制作成合成的枕木，也已经腐坏了。

他们震惊的不是他们的钱，而是因为这种低劣的品质的木块需要承受地铁列车的压碾，是不可能耐得了的。

如果木块崩解，地铁轨道就会下沉，那么，轨道跟着裂开，信号会中断，地铁列车就也可能会出轨。

现在，我们有很多问题想要问政府：

1。政府知道这件事吗？所以才安排换新的枕木吗？

2。有人手脚不干净买劣等货来蒙骗政府吗？

3。过去的一些断断续续出现的信号中断毛病，是不是就是因为这个缘故而使轨道下沉信号才中断的？

4。许多趟的地铁列车特意放慢速度的做法，是不是已经知道枕木不耐用，在更换枕木之前降低它受重压而崩解的危险？

5。是不是都是误会？地铁轨道的枕木没问题？真的？

我不知道多快能知道答案，但我从木材行家转述时还带着那种震惊的表现给“唬住”，我想，事情应该不那么简单。

链接海峡时报五月十四日关于 – 加快更换18万8千根枕木的新闻

为什么需要加快？因为发现问题了？

请LTA告诉大家真相吧！

LTA, SMRT to accelerate sleeper replacement on North-South and East-West lines

Published on May 14, 2013
2:05 PM

Royston Sim

Rail operator SMRT and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will accelerate a programme to replace timber sleepers on the ageing North-South and East-West lines to improve the resilience of the rail network here. SMRT aims to change out all 188,000 sleepers on the North South Line by 2015, and on the East West Line by 2016. This may result in extended work hours, said SMRT and LTA during a joint briefing on Tuesday. The two organisations are also firming up details of a plan to replace the entire third rail system. A joint team from both organizations provided an update on measures taken nearly one year after a high-profile Committee of Inquiry (COI). Various measures recommended by the COI have been implemented, including new sensors to monitor the condition of the power-supplying third rail in real time.