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Fire at train depot causes second Circle Line disruption in two days
Circle Line services in Singapore were disrupted for the second time in two days after a fire broke out at Kim Chuan Depot on 18 September. The fire, which caused a power trip, was extinguished quickly, with normal services resuming shortly after.
SINGAPORE: A fire at the Kim Chuan Depot on Wednesday (18 September) caused a brief disruption to Circle Line services, marking the second consecutive day of interruptions on the line.
The fire, which broke out around 8pm in one of the power system cubicles, resulted in a power trip that halted train services for approximately 15 minutes.
A netizen posted in the Facebook group Complaint Singapore, reporting the latest disruption.
According to SMRT, the transport operator, the incident caused several trains to stall, and lighting within the affected trains was briefly impacted.
Engineers at the depot quickly extinguished the fire, and the Singapore Civil Defence Force was activated to assist.
Power was restored by 8.10pm, and normal train services resumed five minutes later at around 8.15pm.
“We appreciate all commuters’ patience and apologise for the longer commutes over the past two evenings,” SMRT said in a statement posted on Facebook, explaining the swift restoration of services after the fire was contained.
In response to the incident on SMRT’s Facebook page, some commuters expressed frustration, noting that the disruptions were happening just before a planned fare increase.
Others raised concerns about the reliability and safety of train services.
Several also criticised SMRT for poor communication during the disruptions, highlighting issues with announcements and equipment at certain stations.
They urged the operator to make improvements before the fare hike takes effect.
The incident followed a major disruption the previous day, when a power fault at 5.50pm on 17 September halted Circle Line services for nearly two hours during the evening peak period.
Eleven trains were stalled inside tunnels for 15 minutes, leaving passengers without air-conditioning.
However, onboard batteries provided partial lighting and ventilation during the outage.
SMRT gradually resumed services, with normal operations restored by 7.40pm.
In a statement on Wednesday morning, SMRT said that staff worked through the night to diagnose the cause of Tuesday’s fault and ensure that all systems were fully operational.
