New webpage showing MRT, LRT delays in real time to be launched on Dec 13

SINGAPORE – MRT and LRT passengers will soon have a one-stop webpage offering real-time updates of the operational status of all of Singapore’s rail lines, including any incidents on the network.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Dec 12 that the webpage at mytransport.sg/trainstatus will go live at 6pm on Dec 13.

Delays would be classified in two broad categories – “yellow” for minor delays, where services are expected to resume in less than 30 minutes, and “orange” for major disruptions that will likely take more than 30 minutes to resolve. Classification is based on historical data on how long similar faults have taken to resolve.

The webpage will consolidate information on lines operated by both rail operators – SMRT and SBS Transit – and provide live information during disruptions. It will be updated as delays are resolved – “orange” advisories will be downgraded to “yellow” and then to “green” once service resumes.

“Yellow” advisories can be upgraded to “orange” if a fault is more complicated than expected and requires more time to fix.

LTA said there will also be indicators for planned delays – such as those for repair works – which will be progressively introduced.

LTA’s announcement came more than a week after it said on Dec 3 that SMRT and SBS Transit 

will prioritise on-site communications

 to passengers who are directly affected by minor delays of under 30 minutes rather than broadcast a social media advisory on maximum travel time.

Some commuters were frustrated by the absence of updates on SMRT’s social media channels during two separate train disruptions on the Thomson-East Coast Line on Nov 18 and the East-West Line on Dec 2.

They said finding out about a delay only when they get to a station

would prevent them from making other transport plans

, and could cause them to be late or force them to spend on private-hire car services.

LTA said delays broadcast on the webpage would be classified as minor if they affect only a short stretch of the rail network and occur during off-peak hours. Passengers can continue using train services during a minor delay because the MRT is often still the most direct option and alternative routes may take longer than waiting out the delay, it added.

LTA said the webpage will be updated soon after a fault is detected, following an initial assessment by engineers. Passengers at affected stations may encounter the disruption before it is reflected online as a short lag is required for engineers to confirm the fault.

Major delays affect a larger sector of the rail network, and may happen during peak hours. In such instances, passengers will be advised on the next-best alternative, such as using other MRT lines or free bus services at affected stations.

Each advisory will include a time stamp, the affected rail line and sector, and the type of incident (minor or major). It will also indicate whether passengers can continue to use the train service, or if they should divert their journeys.

In the event of a major delay, SMRT, SBS Transit and LTA will also put up social media posts on their respective accounts.

LTA said deciding when a disruption should be classified as major requires discretion because factors such as the time of day and the affected sector must be considered. It declined to give a specific number of stations that would trigger a “major” designation, noting that engineers need flexibility to assess each fault and exercise their judgment.

In response to The Straits Times’ query on why the webpage does not state the cause of delays, LTA said its priority is “to put out accurate, timely and relevant information to all commuters”.

“The focus of the advisory is on the actions commuters should take when a service delay occurs... so they can determine the best option to reach their destinations quickly,” LTA added.

LTA said other metro systems, such as those in London and Paris, also provide commuters with a centralised webpage to check the real-time operating status of their metro systems, in addition to messages and announcements at affected stations during delays.

The webpage will give passengers more accurate information as social media posts may not always appear on a person’s feed in a timely manner, LTA noted. This may result in passengers making unnecessary or costly detours if train services have resumed.

The authority said the webpage is the first step in a broader plan to improve how disruptions are communicated. It has been in the works for some time, and comes after a rail expert in November urged a more “customer-centric” approach to keeping passengers informed during service delays.

LTA is also developing tools, including an app, to provide real-time, journey-specific information to help passengers plan during rail delays. For example, geolocation may be used to pinpoint their locations.

LTA will also provide data to Google Maps to improve journey-time estimates, making it easier for passengers to adjust their trips during incidents.

When asked, LTA did not specify when these other tools would be rolled out. More details will be announced when these tools are ready, it said.

“We will continue to improve our approach to communicating information on the status of our rail network,” it added.

Mr Yao Guang, 34, said he hopes the webpage can provide more granular updates, such as which stage a repair is at – whether works are just starting, midway through or close to completion. Such information, he said, would help passengers make more informed decisions and gauge the “risk” of heading to a station during a delay.

He added that the webpage also lacks indicators of how crowded stations are. “If it’s an ‘orange’ situation during peak period, there’s a high chance the platforms will be packed... and I’ll know I probably won’t be able to board,” he said.

Mr Yao, who works in marketing, noted that apps like Google Maps already show crowd levels at places of interest. “Commuters are used to having this level of detail, and knowing how crowded a station is should be the standard,” he said.

For retiree Justin Mark, 66, the webpage is something he expects to use only occasionally. He said he would check it if he is caught in a breakdown, sees an alert about a fault on social media or wants to look up scheduled shutdowns.

Although he previously experienced a train fault on the North-South Line, he generally presumes the trains are working and does not feel a need to monitor the webpage regularly.

He also felt that commuters are unlikely to remember the colour-coded categories, and suggested that the webpage should instead show the “exact duration of the delay”.

Mr Manish Hazra, 21, also raised concerns about the webpage’s accessibility. “The elderly won’t be able to use this,” he said.

The full-time national serviceman was similarly critical of the categorisation system. “In a fast-paced society like Singapore, 30 minutes is a very long time,” he said, adding that labels based on shorter time bands would be more useful for commuters.

Retired school office assistant Siti Alima, 68, welcomed the information the new webpage will offer.

At present, she relies on Google Maps and the directions from on-site staff to navigate the rail system, including when disruptions occur, and said she would follow the advisories on the webpage during rail delays in the future.