Train service resumes after fault causes 3rd disruption on North-South MRT Line in 3 weeks
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This is the third disruption on the North-South Line in three weeks.
ST PHOTO: RYAN CHIONG
SINGAPORE – A train fault near Yishun station caused delays of up to 25 minutes for commuters on the North-South Line (NSL) between Woodlands and Ang Mo Kio MRT stations on Wednesday morning.
Public transport operator SMRT said the train fault was caused by a signalling issue, which triggered a safety precaution that caused the train to be immobilised.
SMRT, in a Facebook post at about 8pm, said: “We are working with the original equipment manufacturer on the root cause of this failure.”
This was the third NSL disruption in three weeks. On Feb 6, the line was hit by a track fault track point fault.
In the Facebook update, SMRT said the earlier incidents were not linked to Wednesday’s train fault.
The incident on Feb 6 was caused by a granite stone stuck on the underside of a point machine, which controls train movements at rail junctions when they move from one track to another.
A faulty point detection cable had caused the Feb 8 incident, SMRT added.
Wednesday’s disruption was first announced by SMRT in a Twitter post at 10.10am, informing commuters to add 15 minutes to the travel time from Woodlands to Yishun stations towards Marina South Pier.
Later, commuters were advised to add 25 minutes to their travel time between Woodlands and Ang Mo Kio stations. Free bus services between Woodlands and Ang Mo Kio were available during the period of disruption.
Regular train services resumed between the two stations at around 11.15am, about an hour after the train fault was announced.
SMRT later said the train fault occurred near Yishun station.
It added that commuters in the train safely disembarked at the station and the faulty train was taken to the depot for investigations. Commuters were also advised to take alternative routes such as the Thomson-East Coast Line to get to the city area.
“We are sorry to affect your journey this morning,” SMRT said.
