SINGAPORE, Feb 14 – Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) reportedly said it is working with rail operators SMRT and SBS Transit to improve incident response and determine the “root causes” behind three separate MRT service disruptions within five days.
The Straits Times (ST) reported LTA saying in a statement yesterday recounted that rail services were delayed on February 7, 10, and 11 at the North-South, North East and Circle MRT lines, though the incidents were unrelated.
On February 7, an engineering vehicle broke down at a railway crossing in Bishan Depot at 5.15am after completing maintenance works. When SMRT attempted to move it using a rescue train, some wheels came off the rails, blocking train departures from the depot.
To mitigate the issue, SMRT redirected some trains from the East-West Line (EWL) to the North-South Line (NSL), allowing services to continue but at longer intervals. Train services returned to normal later in the day after the derailed vehicle was cleared.
On February 10, a signalling fault near Buangkok station at 6.08am caused trains on the North East Line (NEL) to slow down. SBS Transit provided free bridging bus services, and train operations resumed progressively from 8am.
LTA’s early findings suggest a faulty electronic card was responsible, and the component has been sent to manufacturer Alstom for further analysis.
The third incident on February 11 involved a power trip on the Circle Line (CCL) between Paya Lebar and Marymount stations at 8.15am, affecting 17 trains. Power was later restored, but delays continued as the central train supervision system was slower than usual.
ST wrote that LTA noted that the last similar issue occurred in September 2024 and stated that a software patch is set to be deployed on February 15 following testing.
LTA also assured commuters that it is reviewing all three incidents closely to improve incident response and prevent future disruptions.
It emphasised that the February 7 derailment was unrelated to the EWL disruption in September 2024, which affected services between Jurong East and Buona Vista for six days.