Passengers left confused after East-West Line delay due to track fault on Dec 2
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Follow topic:
- On Dec 2, a track fault near Aljunied station caused 20-minute delays on the EWL between Bugis and Bedok, affecting eight stations.
- Passengers faced confusion due to unclear directions and platform changes at stations like Paya Lebar, with some travelling in wrong directions.
- SMRT rectified the track fault, gradually resuming services from 9.15pm, but did not communicate updates on social media.
AI generated
SINGAPORE – On Dec 2, some passengers travelling at night on the East-West Line (EWL) between Bugis and Bedok stations experienced a delay of at least 20 minutes.
From around 8pm, posters and digital screen displays were put up at various stations indicating that a track fault had occurred, resulting in extra travelling time of 20 minutes between Bugis and Bedok stations – a stretch of eight stations.
At Paya Lebar station, one of the affected stops, trains called at platforms opposite to their designated ones and station staff were also said to have been unclear about the trains’ direction of travel.
SMRT, which operates the EWL, did not announce the delay on its social media pages, irking some passengers.
Responding to queries from The Straits Times on Dec 3, SMRT Trains president Lam Sheau Kai said a track point failure took place near Aljunied station on the EWL at around 7.50pm on Dec 2.
A track point failure refers to a malfunctioning railway switch that allows trains to change tracks.
Commuters at Paya Lebar MRT station on Dec 2.
ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY
A shuttle train service plied the stretch covering Lavender, Kallang, Aljunied and Paya Lebar stations, resulting in an additional 20 minutes of travel time across the affected stretch, he added.
Mr Lam said rail services on the rest of the EWL continued to operate normally in both directions, except for the scheduled train service shutdown between Bedok and Tampines stations, and between Tanah Merah and Expo stations. Train services are suspended between these stations till Dec 8 for track work
“Our staff and engineers responded promptly to rectify the fault, and normal train services progressively resumed from 9.15pm,” he said. “We thank commuters for their patience and understanding.”
Free regular bus services were rolled out along the affected stretch, and passengers were advised to use the Downtown Line as an alternative, added Mr Lam.
SMRT did not answer ST’s question on why it did not inform the public about the delay and fault on its social media channels.
ST has also asked the Land Transport Authority for comment.
On the night of the disruption, the EWL platforms at Paya Lebar station were fairly crowded, with passengers visibly confused about the direction in which arriving trains were travelling.
Commuters took to social media to air their frustrations.
Senior business consultant Ryhan Samadi said on TikTok that due to the disruption, he was stuck for an hour and 10 minutes.
He had to alight at Paya Lebar and Kallang stations to switch platforms.
Then the train he was travelling in, which was heading towards Tuas Link, switched directions at Lavender station without any notice, and returned to Kallang station.
He added that station staff were unsure which direction the trains were headed in, and were unable to help passengers.
The digital display at Chinatown’s North-East Line platform announcing a track fault on the East-West Line.
PHOTO: LAND TRANSPORT GURU/FACEBOOK
Mr Bryan Yeo, 25, similarly observed that many commuters did not know which trains to board as there were also shuttle trains running at short intervals between Paya Lebar and Bedok stations due to the scheduled train service shutdown in the east.
There were also changes to the direction of arriving trains.
The university student, who was travelling from Serangoon to Aljunied, arrived at Paya Lebar station at around 9.10pm. He was confused as the screens on the platform suddenly flashed “do not board” advisories.
The longer wait for the train resulted in him being 15 minutes late for an appointment in Aljunied.
Some social media users lamented the absence of updates on SMRT’s official channels, and said they were confused about how to continue their journeys.
One Reddit user said it was “really annoying” that SMRT had stayed silent on its social media channels, saying this was a matter of accountability.
A sign on display at the passenger service centre of Bedok MRT station showing longer travelling times.
PHOTO: LAND TRANSPORT GURU/FACEBOOK
An independent advisory panel
One of the experts on the panel also called for a more “customer-centric” approach when communicating with passengers
In the wake of a series of rail disruptions, Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow acknowledged in September that “we still can do better”, including by giving passengers more accurate information on alternative routes and expected delays during an incident.
Instead of generic advisories, passengers should receive information tailored to their location. The information should also be centralised – possibly on a single app – so that passengers know where to look, he told Parliament on Sept 22
The absence of alerts on SMRT’s social media channels about an earlier fault had similarly angered passengers
On the morning of Nov 18, a train fault delayed commuters by up to 30 minutes on the Thomson-East Coast Line between Caldecott and Gardens by the Bay stations. There were no alerts on SMRT’s social media pages.
