MRT services resume on TEL after delay due to train fault

SINGAPORE – A train fault caused a delay on the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) on Oct 1, with trains moving slower from Woodlands North station towards Lentor station.

In a social media post at 5.05pm, SMRT said the train fault would lead to an additional 10 minutes of travel time.

In a subsequent post at 5.13pm, the operator said a shuttle train service was available between Woodlands North and Woodlands South, as well as between Woodlands South and Lentor.

Commuters could also take a provisory service between Lentor and Bayshore stations, as well as free regular bus services between Woodlands North and Lentor.

At 5.52pm, SMRT updated that train service had fully resumed.

In a Facebook post, SMRT said a train meant for evening peak services had stalled at about 4.45pm, after being launched from Mandai Depot, due to a signalling issue.

“As this occurred during the evening peak hours, there was a delay in the regular passenger service while we rectified the fault,” it said.

SMRT added that train services remained available from Lentor to Bayshore, with normal service resuming progressively from about 5.30pm.

“We are sorry for affecting your evening commute,” said SMRT.

Services at Lentor MRT station appeared to be running normally when The Straits Times visited at about 6.30pm. Trains were arriving in three- to four-minute intervals and few commuters were seen at the station.

This is the fourth train service disruption in about five weeks, following delays on the North-South Line on Aug 24, the

Circle Line on Sept 17

and the

East-West Line (EWL) on Sept 25

.

Service between the EWL’s Jurong East and Buona Vista stations resumed on Oct 1, after a six-day disruption that affected more than 2.1 million passengers.

It involved a train – which had been in operation for more than 35 years – that encountered a fault near Clementi station on the EWL on the morning of Sept 25. On its way back to the depot, it unexpectedly left a trail of destruction and caused extensive damage to tracks and trackside equipment.

The TEL last saw a service disruption on the morning of July 5, according to SMRT’s X account. 

During that incident, trains travelling towards Woodlands North did not stop at Orchard station due to a track fault, and the operator advised an additional travel time of 10 minutes. Service resumed progressively shortly after.

In March 2023, a train fault caused a

nearly three-hour delay on the TEL

during the evening peak hour. About a month earlier, on Feb 6, a train fault similarly

caused delays of around 20 minutes

on the MRT line, with SMRT saying trains were moving slower along a 22-station stretch between Woodlands North and Gardens by the Bay.

Correction note: In an earlier version of the story, we said that the Circle Line disruption happened on Sept 18. This is incorrect. It should be Sept 17. We are sorry for the error.