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The first working day in 2018 started off with a fault on East-West Line (EWL), something which netizens have predicted to happen as Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan posted a Facebook post on New Year’s Eve of him visiting the operation control station for the trains. Delays along North-South Line and Down Town Line were also reported by commuters.
At 5:49am on Tuesday morning (2 Jan), transport operator,Singapore Mass Rapid Transport (SMRT) tweeted that due to a track signalling fault, commuters should add 30mins train travel time between Changi Airport and Tanah Merah:
[EWL]: Due to a track signalling fault, pls add 30mins train travel time btwn #ChangiAirport and #TanahMerah. Free regular bus are available between #Tanah Merah and #Changi Airport.
— SMRT Corporation (@SMRT_Singapore) January 1, 2018
SMRT then tweeted at 6:13am that services were expected to resume at 06:20pm:
[EWL] UPDATE: Svc expected to resume at 06:20 AM.
— SMRT Corporation (@SMRT_Singapore) January 1, 2018
However, that announcement of service resumption was proven to be a false hope. At 6:23am SMRT posted a tweet asking commuters to add 30mins train travel time between Changi Airport and Tanah Merah:
[EWL] UPDATE: Pls add 30mins train travel time btwn #TanahMerah and #ChangiAirport. We are working to recover svc.
— SMRT Corporation (@SMRT_Singapore) January 1, 2018
And again at 6:29pm it asked another 20mins travel time addition:
[EWL] UPDATE: Pls add 20mins train travel time btwn #TanahMerah and #ChangiAirport. We are working to recover svc.
— SMRT Corporation (@SMRT_Singapore) January 1, 2018
Commuters reacted to the delay and posted their experiences:
@SMRT_Singapore train fault at Tanah Merah. No shuttle bus. No people assisting passengers.
— Glenford A. Kalaw (@giokalaw) January 1, 2018
@SMRT_Singapore Scene at Tanah Merah. No shuttle bus to Changi Airport due to train fault. No one giving directions where to wait for public bus or shuttle #mediacorp #smrt #trainfault # pic.twitter.com/8aJEzk70VI
— Glenford A. Kalaw (@giokalaw) January 1, 2018
SMRT OFFICER IS SO ANNOYING AND TOLD US TO QUEUE AT THE WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD. THIS IS MY 3RD TIME WALKING TO FIND THE SHUTTLE SERVICE UGH
— Zara Mustafa ♥ (@thezaramustafa) January 2, 2018
At 7:17am SMRT informed that the fault was cleared and train services were being restored progressively. However, commuters were still informed that they should still add 10mins train travel time between Changi Airport and Tanah Merah:
[EWL] UPDATE: Fault cleared, train svcs are progressively being restored. Pls add 10mins train travel time btwn #TanahMerah and #ChangiAirport.
— SMRT Corporation (@SMRT_Singapore) January 1, 2018
Meanwhile other commuters tweeted that the North South Line and Down Town Line also experienced some delays:
(Source)
Great start to 2018 for #smrt delay in #NS line experience 10 min delay !!!
— shyam senthil (@shyamremo) January 1, 2018
If de platform is down, kindly inform de passengers, 3 trains went by without stopping at platform A!!!! #dtl #bukitpanjang
— 小鱼 (@desleen83) January 1, 2018
The 1st work day into 2018, and the DTL is having train signal fault?
— Mimi Wan K (@Mimi_Covergal) January 1, 2018
At 7:53am, SMRT tweeted that the track signalling fault had recurred:
[EWL]: Track signalling fault recurred, pls add 20mins train travel time btwn #TanahMerah and #ChangiAirport.
— SMRT Corporation (@SMRT_Singapore) January 1, 2018
And of course the commuters were not happy:
Cb I first day go school have delay alr SMART get your shit together please 🙄🖕🏻 @SMRT_Singapore
— 🌻 (@adelaideang) January 1, 2018
Really smrt? The freaking train stopped between clementi & je for 15min now you ask us to alight at lakeside. 1st working day of the year, BUT THE TRAIN IS STILL NOT WORKING.
— 샨Shan (@ShanSquare_) January 2, 2018
First working day of 2018 and @SMRT_Singapore give me train fault. Faint. 😒
— Linda Lim (@MrsTachibana) January 2, 2018
https://twitter.com/yokey017/status/947985569686044672
Haven't reach boon lay already stop 3 times,yr system really sucks @SMRT_Singapore
— lee lijuan (@leelijuan) January 2, 2018
On Tweeter affected passengers continued to post their disappointment, asking about why there is no improvement despite the closure of stations at EWL and NSL for servicing:
First work day MRT got major problems again trains full of angry miserable travelers
— Roger (@abrogerh) January 2, 2018
Track fault, train delays on the first working day of the new year. All those full day shut downs the past few Sundays all for naught. #SMRT #EWL
— Joy @ #TI8 (@JoySakurai) January 2, 2018
New year present to us. Thought that they closed up station at west end track for servicing, also shorten timings to did it but no improvement??? Hopeless. We just have to live with it??
— miakia (@miakia) January 2, 2018
And at 9:02 it announced that train services between Tanah Merah and Changi Airport had resumed:
[EWL] CLEARED: Train svcs btwn #TanahMerah and #ChangiAirport have resumed. Free regular bus & free bridging bus svcs have ended.
— SMRT Corporation (@SMRT_Singapore) January 2, 2018
On Channel News Asia Facebook, netizens also posted their comments:
Steven Tan: Hey. EW line. 7.45am left clementi. Now 8.00 am. Take close to 15 min. Still stuck here. From clementi, still cannot reach jurong east. No announcement at all.
Nothing! Move stop. Move stop. Move stop. Wth!
Gabriel Chia: “Attention passengers, due to ………we are sorry for the inconveniences caused” . More such announcements will be on the way till 2019.
Mohamed Eilyzar Abdullah: Give you another 20 years and you still wont resolve your “track signalling fault”.
J Revathy Usha: Channel NewsAsia why didn’t you announce DTL is also affected. Super crowded at bt panjang! And why are they announcing the delay on EW line instead We are waiting for 6mins..n no train.
Audrey Teo: 20 mins PER STATION YA!!! NOT whole journey hor. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! I knew it!!! I knew you will continue to torture us like what you did in 2017 because a leopard will never change its spots, just like zebra’s stripes