By SINGAPORE — A train fault caused an additional 25-minute travel time for commuters on the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) on Tuesday evening (7 Mar).
Train operator SMRT first tweeted about the delay at 5.05 pm, advising commuters to use alternative MRT lines. A train shuttle service was also made available between Caldecott and Orchard stations.
[TEL]: Due to a train fault, please expect an additional travelling time of 25min. Passengers are advised to use alternative lines to get to their destination.
— SMRT Corporation (@SMRT_Singapore) March 7, 2023
However, SMRT later announced that there would be no train service towards the Gardens By the Bay terminus. Bridging and free regular bus services were then made available at all affected stations.
[TEL]: Due to a track signal fault, trains are moving slower from Bright Hill towards Bright Hill.
— SMRT Corporation (@SMRT_Singapore) March 7, 2023
[TEL]: For passengers travelling towards Woodlands North, bridging bus and free regular bus services still available at affected stations.
— SMRT Corporation (@SMRT_Singapore) March 7, 2023
The train fault occurred at Orchard station towards Woodlands at about 4.40 pm. SMRT stated in a Facebook post at 6.31 pm that their staff had been activated to recover service, and the defective train had been withdrawn for investigations.
At 6.27 pm, SMRT announced that train services towards Gardens by the Bay had resumed, with normal services on the TEL resuming at 7.21 pm.
[TEL]: Train services are progressively resuming. Free bridging bus services still avail between Caldecott and Orchard. Free regular bus services still avail between Caldecott to Gardens by the Bay.
— SMRT Corporation (@SMRT_Singapore) March 7, 2023
The delay resulted in frustration for commuters, with some taking to social media to express their disappointment.
It’s not even 6 mths in service and it’s already down!? 🤣
— S S (@suansiew) March 7, 2023
Come up with other ideas. You can keep blaming them but it cannot solve your problem of getting home
— jamey matcha (@jameyjam3) March 7, 2023
Please be specific in your announcements. You should tell commuters that there are NO TRAINs from Caldecott to Gardens by the Bay and not about the train delay. It’s ridiculous the number of times TEL has broken down since opening. Get a grip
— jtan (@joshuatan1807) March 7, 2023
your station staff at orchard Boulevard is lying to passengers that there is a shuttle bus to stevens. please handle it.
— Snirky (@sn1rky) March 7, 2023
Many commuters were affected during the evening peak hour, and SMRT apologized for any inconvenience caused to the passengers’ evening commute.
This incident adds to the recent string of MRT disruptions, with commuters increasingly calling for better reliability and punctuality on the train network.
The government has previously noted that it aims to reduce train delays to less than five minutes by 2025, and is currently in the process of upgrading and maintaining the MRT system to achieve this goal.