Train services between Jurong East and Buona Vista MRT resume after 6-day disruption

SINGAPORE: Train services between Jurong East and Buona Vista MRT stations resumed on Tuesday (1 October) morning, following a six-day suspension.

The disruption had affected millions of commuters, but the service is now back in operation, according to both official reports and feedback from passengers.

Several commuters took to social media to report that services between the two stations resumed with minimal disruptions, with most noting a smooth and normal commuting experience.

SMRT staff were seen assisting passengers at stations, ensuring that they were aware of the resumption of services.

Previously, commuters expressed frustration over the six-day disruption, with some reporting commute times of over 1.5 hours, compared to their usual 35-minute journey to work.

In a Facebook post on the morning of 1 October, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) officially confirmed the restoration of services.

The LTA expressed appreciation for the teams who worked tirelessly over the past few days to fix the issue. “From repairing and restoring our trains, to assisting commuters with their journeys—here’s a huge THANK YOU to all our teams for working around the clock the past few days,” the LTA stated.

The authority also thanked commuters for their patience, noting that westbound trains would travel at reduced speeds over the next three days, until 3 October, for safety reasons.

Commuters heading west are advised to account for an additional five minutes of travel time during this period.

Commuters call for greater accountability from top management

While the restoration has been welcomed by many, some have called for greater accountability from SMRT's management.

Comments on LTA’s Facebook post showed appreciation for the ground engineers and staff who worked through the night to restore services, but there were also criticisms directed at the leadership.

Some users questioned the adequacy of preventive maintenance, urging management to reflect on their role in ensuring such disruptions do not recur.

The six-day disruption caused significant inconvenience for millions of commuters traveling between Jurong East and Buona Vista.

The disruption originated from a fault in a first-generation Kawasaki Heavy Industries train, which has been in service for over 35 years.

On 25 September, the eastbound train experienced a mechanical failure near Clementi station at around 9 a.m. While the train was being withdrawn from service, a defective axle box component dropped onto the tracks, causing the wheels to derail. The resulting damage was severe, affecting not only the tracks but also critical trackside equipment.

As the faulty train was being moved to Ulu Pandan Depot, it damaged 2.55km of tracks, including the third rail that supplies power to the trains. The malfunction caused a power trip that stalled other trains, leading to an extensive shutdown of services. Engineers later discovered fractures in 46 rail segments, which needed to be replaced.

Despite efforts to restart services earlier, stress tests conducted on 28 September revealed 12 previously undetected cracks on unreplaced sections of rail, necessitating the replacement of an additional 10 rail segments. This delayed the resumption of train services by another day.

Given the age of the train and the extent of the damage caused, questions have emerged about SMRT’s maintenance practices.

The damage wasn’t limited to the tracks but also extended to three point machines, sections of the third rail, power cables, and rail fasteners.

It is unusual for a single train failure to cause such widespread disruption, leading to questions about the state of SMRT’s older rolling stock and track maintenance protocols.