Longer travel time, snaking bus queues: EWL passengers cope with 2nd day of train disruption

SINGAPORE – Commuters using the East-West Line (EWL) faced a second day of disruption, with train services still unavailable between Jurong East and Buona Vista MRT stations on Sept 26 after a

power fault that happened the day before.

An estimated 516,000 commuters were affected. Many had to take free bridging buses between the four-station stretch to continue their journeys, with 80 double-decker buses deployed to ferry commuters in both directions.

There was some confusion on the ground during the morning and evening peak periods, with commuters unsure about where to take the bridging buses or how to navigate the train shuttle services between Boon Lay and Jurong East, as well as between Buona Vista and Queenstown.

About 620 police officers and ground staff from the Land Transport Authority, SMRT, SBS Transit and Tower Transit helped manage the crowds at the stations.

In the morning, both commuters and station staff had another problem to deal with – a heavy downpour that began at about 8am. Many station staff were seen going out of their way to prevent commuters from getting drenched by signalling buses to park nearer to bus stops and assisting the wheelchair-bound.

The downpour ended at about 11am.

Confusion on the ground

Travelling time for some was extended significantly. For instance, journalists from The Straits Times took about 90 minutes to travel from Jurong East to Redhill, using a combination of shuttle bus, shuttle train and regular train service. This route would typically have taken 21 minutes, according to a Google Maps estimate.

Some commuters had factored the delays into their planning.

One commuter, who wanted to be known only as Ms Wong, said that she was headed to Jurong East MRT station, where a company bus would pick her up at 6.55am.

“I normally leave the house at 6.25am, but I left the house one hour earlier today,” said the 56-year-old, who works at a data centre. “I’m concerned... there are no instructions. I’m not sure what time the train is leaving.

“When I arrive at Buona Vista, I need to take the feeder bus to Boon Lay. How do I get from Boon Lay to Jurong East? There will definitely be a jam, the feeder bus picking up people... I’ll be late for work.”  

Her confusion and concern were mirrored elsewhere.

Ms Rachel Leong, 27, who was making her way back to her home in Bedok, said she was initially confused about where to take the bridging service bus from Jurong East to Buona Vista.

“I had to ‘queue’ to ask the staff for directions as there were quite a few confused people as well, but the staff patiently addressed each of us and gave me directions on where to take the bus,” she said.

“The signage and way finding can be improved as they are not that obvious, but I’m glad there are helpful staff to guide us,” said the teaching assistant.

Online, many posted questions on SMRT’s Facebook to ask for advice on how to plan their travel routes, with some queries rolling in as early as 4am.

The rail operator replied to most netizens, giving step-by-step advice on where to change trains, exit or take the bus.

At Queenstown, there were commuters who mistakenly thought they could take bridging buses from the station, only to be told that they had to catch the train to Buona Vista to use the bus services.

Commuters crowded around MRT staff, asking them for advice on reaching their destinations, with those unsure playing it safe and not getting on a train before checking with staff or other commuters first.

Nurse Aswathy Prasad, 35, said there was no prior announcement in the train nor were there any staff at Boon Lay station to alert her.

She added that she was worried about being late for work, which started at 7am in Tanah Merah, and found the whole situation troublesome.

However, taking a Grab ride was not an option as prices were too expensive.

Checks by ST on ride-hailing platforms such as Grab, ComfortDelGro and Gojek at 7.15am showed that a ride from Jurong East MRT to Buona Vista MRT – which are three stops apart – cost between $24 and $31. 

Rides from Buona Vista and Jurong East to Tanjong Pagar cost around $16 to $24 and $36 to $42 respectively.

By 8.30am, as the rain worsened, prices had surged to between $38 and $42.

A ride from Buona Vista to Tanjong Pagar cost around $25 to $37, while one from Jurong East to Tanjong Pagar cost around $35 to $60.

As at 9.50am, bookings via Gojek and Grab to Buona Vista MRT station could not go through.

The Gojek app had a pop-up that said “there’s an emergency in this area”, while Grab said the area was “inaccessible due to a public event”.

Navigating some of the MRT stations also proved a challenge for some.

Early on, commuters were left befuddled at Jurong East station – they did not know where trains at each platform were headed towards as the announcement did not mention it. The confusion resulted in passengers waiting around the platform.

At around 4pm in Jurong East, ST observed some disgruntled commuters who were frustrated with the long walk from the MRT station to the bridging bus stop.

Mr Raj Kumar, who was headed to Outram Park, said he was frustrated at having to walk more than 10 minutes to the bus stop from the station.

“I have knee problems, so I have to limp all the way and I have to take the stairs to get to the bus stop too,” said the 66-year-old security guard, who was using an umbrella as a walking stick.

“Why can’t the buses stop closer to the station? It will be even worse for those in wheelchairs.”

Demand for buses

Outside Buona Vista station, the demand for buses saw long queues that stretched nearly 100m. Those at the end of the line appeared clueless as to where to go. Crowds gathered around SMRT staff who were giving directions. Police officers were also present, with some helping to give directions. 

Mr Lim Tien Hock, chief executive officer of SBS Transit’s (SBST) bus business, was seen at Buona Vista station directing buses and commuters.

He told ST: “For SBST, we are supporting the bus bridging (services) for the disruption of the EWL, in support of the Land Transport Authority and SMRT.

“Because our buses are deployed here to provide the bus bridging from Buona Vista to Jurong East, I thought I would also like to be here (as my guys are also on the ground) to make sure that things are moving smoothly.”

Mr Lim said he arrived at around 5.30am, before the first train’s departure at 6.16am, to make sure things were in place and that SBST’s buses arrived on time and queues were well-managed.

LTA and SMRT said they observed orderly queueing and boarding of the buses during the morning peak.

Queues also formed in the evening, with bridging buses arriving at a regular clip.

At around 6.45pm in Jurong East, there was a queue of about 20 people for the bridging bus service to Buona Vista. Each bus was full when it departed and staff told commuters not to run for it as there were more buses coming.

Lab intern Braver Pay, 20, took a bridging bus from his workplace in Clementi to Buona Vista.

The ride took 20 minutes and he said he would be an hour late for his taekwondo session.

However, despite the on-ground woes, there was praise for SMRT staff from some commuters.

Ms Nayagi Govindasamy, 66, was travelling on a bridging bus from Buona Vista to Jurong East. She had just finished work in Pasir Ris and lives in Pioneer.

To get home, she had to take the train from Pasir Ris to Buona Vista, then a bridging bus to Jurong East and from there, she had to “find my way home”.

Yet she praised the staff, saying: “The directions are good, the way the journey continue. Salute to them, it’s not easy.”

A woman who gave her name only as Ms Chan complimented an SMRT employee in the afternoon.

Ms Chan, who is in her 70s, said she was going to take a bridging bus to her destination and expected to queue for a while. But she did not have to wait long as the staff there were constantly checking on commuters and giving instructions.

“Every few steps we walked, there were staff asking ‘How can I help you?’, making sure we were on track. They were so helpful,” Ms Chan said, adding that during a previous disruption on the Circle Line, she had experienced similar help from staff.

A commuter who wanted to be known only as Ms Jia Min, 30, was making her way home to Kallang from Jurong East. She hopes the disruption will not “drag on for too many days”.

“This is the second day, so I already know where to go for the bridging buses. A few days of disruption can be tolerated but I hope it won’t go on for too long,” said the software developer.

Power trip

In an update on Facebook on Sept 26, the LTA said it is working with SMRT, SBST and Tower Transit to provide bus bridging services and on-ground crowd management to help commuters continue their journeys.

Thanking passengers for their patience during the morning commute, the authority also urged them to maintain orderliness while waiting for the buses as recovery efforts take place.

The disruption began when an eastbound train developed a fault on the EWL near Clementi MRT station on Sept 25.

While the train was being withdrawn, a power trip was detected at 9.25am, causing another train on the EWL between Queenstown and Boon Lay MRT stations to stall.

SMRT first alerted the public to the disruption between Boon Lay and Queenstown stations on the EWL on its Facebook page at about 9.50am.

LTA announced later that regular train services would not be available between Boon Lay and Queenstown stations for the rest of the day – causing commuters to form long queues outside stations and nearby bus stops in a bid to catch free shuttle and bridging bus services.

LTA said late on Sept 25 that regular train services between Jurong East and Buona Vista stations would not resume as recovery works, which started in the afternoon, by its engineers and those from SMRT would continue into the night.

Commuters were advised to make alternative transport arrangements and to check for updates on SMRT’s and LTA’s social media platforms, as well as LTA’s MyTransport app, SMRT said on its Facebook account.

SMRT apologised for the disruption on Sept 25 and thanked all commuters for their understanding and patience as recovery works continued.