Ex-LTA engineer claims poor maintenance could be reason for train disruption due to lightning

Train service between Yio Chu Kang and Yishun in the North-South line was disrupted at about 4pm on 11 May because a train was struck by lightning in an unexpected thunderstorm, said SMRT. The train driver reported the incident saying he smelled something burning. The affected train had to be pushed out by another train, affecting service for about 50 minutes. The public transport operator said that trains being struck by lightning is not common but that it can happen during severe thunderstorms. One of our readers who claims to be a former LTA engineer, Yong, said that if the MRT's lightning protection system was properly maintained, the incident may not have happened. Yong said: "All the track are installed with lightning protection system as I am the LTA engineer who installed them back in 1998. If the lightning conductor properly maintained with the copper conductor properly grounded to earth, the lightning should not be able to do any damage. However, the conductor need to be maintained properly and the grounding need to be checked routinely. Most likely a maintenance issue."