Regular train service on East-West Line resumes after delay due to track fault on morning of July 4
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Staff explaining the track fault situation and offering passengers alternatives, at Boon Lay station.
ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG
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SINGAPORE - Regular train service has resumed on the East-West Line after a three-hour delay caused by a track fault at Jurong East station on the morning of July 4.
While train service was available during the period of delay, trains were running slower.
Regular train service resumed progressively from 7.48am, train operator SMRT said.
The delay was the result of a faulty point machine, said SMRT in a Facebook post at 8.18am.
“A point machine controls train movements at rail junctions when trains switch tracks. It is crucial for the point machine to be fully functional for the safe operation of trains,” it added.
Due to safety reasons, trains travelled at a speed of 5kmh near the point machine after the fault was detected, said SMRT. “To rectify the fault, our staff went onto the track to investigate the issue.”
Free regular bus and bridging bus services, which were available between Clementi and Boon Lay stations at designated bus stops, ceased by 8.12am.
At 7.25am, SMRT announced the track fault, which occurred at the station at around 5am.
It advised commuters to add up to 30 minutes of additional train travel time. Commuters were also asked to take other lines, including Thomson-East Coast Line, Downtown Line and North-South Line towards the city.
At 8.10am, SMRT updated that the fault had been cleared and the service was progressively returning to normal.
Ms Alice Low, who works at a clinic in Novena, was slightly late for work due to the train fault.
She boarded the train at Boon Lay station at 6.45am, and when she reached Jurong East station, all passengers were asked to alight.
As the train station was packed, she figured she would need to wait for a long time before she could board the next available train on the East-West Line, so she took the North-South Line to get to Novena station instead.
“Luckily I left very early,” she said, adding that she would have been very late for work otherwise.
