SINGAPORE - A track fault has rendered trains crawling on the East-West Line on Friday morning (March 15).

Operator SMRT tweeted an alert before 7am to say that service between Jurong East and Queenstown would take 30 minutes longer than usual because of a track fault.

Then at around 7am, it said the fault had been cleared and service was returning to normal. But several minutes later, it repeated the first alert, adding that free buses were now available for the affected stretch.

As of 7.50am, the fault has not been cleared. As it is the morning peak, the delay is likely to affect the entire East-West Line, as well as the North-South Line, which interchanges with the East-West Line at Jurong East. The interchange, even on normal days, is congested during the morning peak.

Approaching 8am, SMRT posted this on Facebook: "At around 5.45am on Friday, a track fault occurred near Clementi MRT station on the East-West Line. Train services were affected between Jurong and Queenstown stations.

"At around 7am, train services in the affected area resumed progressively, but trains are travelling slowly.

"Commuters are advised to add 30 minutes' travelling time and to use the North-South Line instead. Free regular bus services and free bus bridging services in both directions are available between Jurong and Queenstown stations."

After several uneventful weeks, MRT faults and delays have begun to creep up, with the North-South and Downtown lines among those affected by glitches recently.