Announcement

13 July 2022

Escalator Refurbishment Project on North-South and East-West lines is completed

1. SMRT Trains’ refurbishment of all escalators across 42 stations on the North-South and East-West lines has been completed. As part of efforts by SMRT Trains to provide safe, reliable and comfortable journeys for commuters, a total of 231 escalators¹ were refurbished. Started in 2016, it is the first major refurbishment of escalators since the MRT began operations in Singapore in 1987.
    
2. Besides operating at dual speeds to address the needs of children and elderly using escalators at MRT stations, cater to varying passenger traffic volumes during different periods of the day , the refurbished escalators also have new safety features such as missing step sensors, traffic light indicators, floorplate switches, handrail speed monitoring and skirt deflectors. [Please refer to Annex A for more details]
    
3. Works by the contractor Otis Singapore commenced in August 2016, monitored closely by engineers from SMRT and the Land Transport Authority (LTA). The upgrading of each escalator involved the removal, installation and replacement of more than 1,000 parts and major components. For the straightforward cases, about four months were needed to complete the refurbishment of one escalator. Some escalators took up to eight months to be fully refurbished.
    
4. The escalator refurbishment project was slated for completion by the end of 2021, but the COVID-19 pandemic partially affected the progress of the works. The project was mostly completed as of end January 2022. Enhancement works were also carried out on the first four pilot escalators (Tanjong Pagar, Ang Mo Kio, Tanah Merah and Tiong Bahru) and completed in June 2022.
    
5. Mr Lam Sheau Kai, President, SMRT Trains, said: “We are glad the refurbishment project is completed for commuters to have added safety and convenience as they travel in our network. A big thank-you to commuters for their patience during this time. We would also like to thank LTA and Otis Singapore for working closely with us.”.