Singapore
No train service on East-West Line between Jurong East and Buona Vista on 27 Sep
Transport operator SMRT has announced that there will be no train service on the East-West Line (EWL) between Jurong East and Buona Vista stations on Friday (27 Sept).
Transport operator SMRT has announced that there will be no train service on the East-West Line (EWL) between Jurong East and Buona Vista stations on Friday (27 Sept).
The update, posted on SMRT’s Facebook page at 9:53 PM, also informed commuters that free regular and bridging bus services are available to facilitate travel during the disruption.
Initially, SMRT had considered operating a shuttle train service between the two stations by expediting repairs on one of the tracks.
However, it was determined that running a shuttle would slow down repairs on the adjacent damaged rail, as work could not proceed while the shuttle was in operation.
On balance, SMRT decided to prioritise repair work to expedite the full restoration of train services. “It is better to prioritise repair and expedite restoring full service earlier, rather than run a 20-minute shuttle between Jurong East and Buona Vista stations,” SMRT said in its statement.
The company is now targeting to resume full service by Monday, 30 September 2024. Running the shuttle train could have risked delaying the full restoration by several days, SMRT noted.
This means the disruption will lead to its third day following a serious incident on Wednesday (25 Sep) where a defective axle box on a first-generation Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) train caused the derailment of one bogie—a structure beneath the train carriage that holds its wheels—between Dover and Clementi stations.
As a result, the faulty train, which had been in service for over 35 years, severely damaged 1.6km of track, leading to 34 rail breaks, including cracks and chips.
Commuters are advised to use the available bus services as an alternative for travel between Jurong East and Buona Vista until full train services are restored. SMRT is working to complete repairs as soon as possible to minimise further 
