SINGAPORE - The Bukit Panjang LRT line, which was shut down on Monday evening due to a fire, may not resume by 5am on Tuesday morning.

In a statement issued just before midnight on Monday, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said operator SMRT is " currently working hard" to get the trains running by the start of revenue service on Tuesday.

"However, based on the current assessment, there is a possibility that this might not be achieved," said an LTA spokesman.

She added that the LTA will continue working with SMRT in the next few hours to try to restore the services as soon as possible.

Based on preliminary investigations, two power tie-breakers at Senja LRT station were damaged by the fire, which broke out in the electrical room. Train service was disrupted in both directions at about 5.30pm, and the line remained shut for the rest of the night.

SMRT will deploy 40 buses to provide free shuttle services at all LRT stations on Tuesday morning if the service cannot resume in time, said the LTA.

Commuters can also board regular SMRT bus services for free at designated bus stops. LTA traffic marshals will be deployed on the ground to facilitate traffic management, said the spokesman.

The LTA and SMRT will provide another update before the start of revenue service at 5am on whether LRT services are restored, she said, adding that commuters are advised to check for updates before starting their trip.

SMRT is still investigating the cause of the fire.

The major breakdown affected thousands of commuters during the evening peak hour commute. It is the latest in a spate of disruptions to hit the rail network in the past few weeks.