MRT track issue causes 5-hour delay; Jeffrey Siow says ‘we can and will do better’

SINGAPORE – Train service on a stretch of the East-West Line (EWL) was disrupted for five hours on Aug 6 due to a faulty point machine near Jurong East MRT station.

Track point machines control the movement of trains from one track to another.

The fault occurred just after the start of service, with operator SMRT telling passengers at about 6am to expect a 15-minute delay on the eastbound track between Boon Lay and Clementi stations.

The disruption was later extended to include Dover and Buona Vista stations, with travel times lengthened by at least 25 minutes.

Services resumed at about 11am, after engineers went onto the tracks after the morning peak period to fix the issue.

To ensure the safety of commuters, trains were driven at a slower speed of 18kmh in manual mode. Trains usually travel at speeds of 60kmh to 80kmh.

In a Facebook post on Aug 6, Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow said the series of disruptions that hit Singapore’s rail system over the past few months was disappointing, and “we can and will do better”.

He noted that the disruptions occurred on different lines and were unrelated.

“I understand commuters’ frustration whenever there is a delay or disruption in train service, because it messes up your day and throws off your plans,” said Mr Siow.

But train delays cannot be eliminated, and will happen from time to time, he added.

He acknowledged that the way information is relayed to commuters during a delay can be improved, including helping them find other routes to their destinations.

On July 1, a signalling fault on the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) caused a two-hour disruption on a four-station stretch of the line.

Later that month, two power-related faults crippled the entire Bukit Panjang LRT (BPLRT) network. One lasted two hours, and the other, three hours. SMRT also operates the TEL and BPLRT.

On Aug 6, commuters reported on Facebook longer waiting times of up to 45 minutes at EWL stations, causing them to be late for work.

Speaking to The Straits Times while waiting to board a train at Jurong East station, Ms Tutik Supelan said a friend had told her about the disruption in the morning, and she decided to add an hour to her journey from Bukit Batok to Tanjong Pagar.

She added that the disruption made her feel uncertain about MRT trips.

“Shouldn’t they make the MRT more (reliable)? Spend some more money on maintenance,” said the 40-year-old fitness trainer.

“We rely so much on the MRT. Now I’m wondering if I can even get on the next train,” she said, as a queue formed behind her.

Some also reported having to wait longer at stations on the North-South Line, such as at Marsiling, Admiralty and Kranji.

A grievance and source of confusion appeared to come from the contingency bus options and where travellers could board the bridging buses.

ST’s checks at Jurong East station found that the boarding point was at a bus stop that was around seven minutes away on foot.

Digital creator Arthur Lim said he was advised by train staff at Chinese Garden station to use the bus, but was greeted with chaos outside the station, as a large crowd and queue had formed.

“For 15 minutes, I stood and watched as the situation deteriorated, with no semblance of order or control,” he said, adding that directing passengers to a disorganised contingency plan was making a bad situation worse.

Commuter Oon Siow Li questioned if passengers should still be allowed to enter the train platforms if there are delays during the morning rush hour.

“People board, then notice there’s a train fault and (are) stuck inside the train,” she wrote in a comment on Facebook.

Multiple passengers, commenting on Facebook and social media platform X, said the delays were longer than the suggested 25 minutes, with some asking for more realistic delay times to avoid offering “fake hope”.

Mr Siow said that announcements on travel times are estimations, and actual durations would depend on each commuter’s starting point and destination.

He wrote on Facebook that the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will continue to conduct more regular exercises with train operators on how to support commuters in different service disruption scenarios.

Retiree Mary Ho, 68, said the five-hour disruption on Aug 6 was “bearable”, and that such disruptions are to be expected on an ageing train line. She was waiting for the train home at Jurong East station after shopping at a supermarket.

She said the delay “was not a big problem” compared with the major disruption that occurred in September 2024.

Then, a faulty train part crippled service along a stretch of the EWL for six days, in one of the worst disruptions in Singapore’s rail history. SMRT was fined $2.4 million by LTA.

Another commuter, Ms Sharon Lim, 59, said a five-hour disruption is too long.

“We need them to improve,” she said of SMRT.

Ms Lim, who works in sales, said that while commuters do not have a say in fare increases, operators must use the money to “do something on maintenance” in return.

ST has asked SMRT for more details about the fault, including how 18kmh was determined to be a safe speed and whether checks have been done on other point machines.