SINGAPORE: Rail operators will prioritise “localised communications” for commuters, especially those directly affected at the stations, in the event of minor delays, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Wednesday (Dec 3).
This applies to situations where a shorter stretch of the rail network is affected, and where authorities expect the duration of the service disruption to be relatively short, lasting less than 30 minutes, the authority said in response to CNA’s queries.
LTA said the move is in response to feedback that communicating the maximum additional travel time does not accurately reflect the impact on individual commuters. This is particularly for those who are unlikely to be affected but would make unnecessary or costly detours if train services resumed on time.
“Following advice from the Rail Reliability Taskforce, LTA and rail operators will use this more localised approach to communicate minor delays,” it added.
“To facilitate journey planning, LTA and operators also intend to provide more accurate information online on additional journey time based on commuters’ specific locations and destinations, rather than a generic advisory on maximum travel time.”
LTA’s comments on Wednesday come a day after a track point failure occurred near Aljunied station on the East-West Line at around 7.50pm.
A shuttle train service was operated between Lavender and Paya Lebar stations, resulting in an additional 20 minutes of travel time within the affected sector, president of SMRT trains, Lam Sheau Kai told CNA.
Free regular bus services were also deployed along the affected stretch, and commuters were additionally advised to use the Downtown Line as an alternative travel option.
Train services on the rest of the East-West Line continued to operate normally in both directions, with the exception of the scheduled temporary service adjustments between Bedok and Tampines stations and between Tanah Merah and Expo stations. Normal train services progressively resumed from 9.15pm, Mr Lam added.
Some commuters affected by the incident on Tuesday evening took to social media to voice frustration with what they said was SMRT’s lack of online communication.
TikTok user ryhansamadi posted about his experience at Paya Lebar station, saying that some people were left feeling lost as some trains switched directions.
LTA said on Wednesday that the shuttle train ensured services remained available end-to-end during the brief delay.
“As the incident was already being rectified, SMRT focused on communicating information such as alternative travel routes to affected commuters at the station. This was supported by staff and crowd marshallers on-site to guide commuters on how to continue their journeys.”