SMRT attributes East-West Line disruption to power supply fault affecting signalling
Train service between Aljunied and Tanah Merah on the East-West Line was disrupted on 16 September due to a UPS fault that caused a signalling failure. SMRT has restored normal operations and apologised to commuters.
Train services along Singapore’s East-West Line (EWL) between Aljunied and Tanah Merah stations were disrupted late on 16 September due to a fault in the Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) system, which led to a signalling failure, according to an official update by SMRT Trains on the morning of 17 September.
The disruption began around 11pm and affected six stations: Aljunied, Paya Lebar, Eunos, Kembangan, Bedok, and Tanah Merah. Normal service resumed by 4.30am the following day.
SMRT said in a post at 4.30am that “train services on the East-West Line are operating normally”, and acknowledged the disruption, stating, “We apologise for the disruption and inconvenience caused, and thank you for your patience and understanding.”
The disruption, which occurred just an hour before regular service closure, left passengers seeking alternative routes. SMRT deployed free bridging and regular bus services along the affected stretch.
Commuters were also advised to use the Thomson-East Coast Line, Circle Line, or Downtown Line to continue their journeys.
For those travelling towards Pasir Ris and Changi Airport, guidance was issued to transfer to the Downtown Line at Bugis station.
Throughout the night, SMRT maintained regular updates via its social media platform X (formerly Twitter), starting at 11.00pm with a warning to add 20 minutes of train travel time due to the signalling fault. This soon escalated to a full suspension of train services between Aljunied and Tanah Merah at 11.09pm.
By 11.17pm, SMRT confirmed the absence of service on the affected stretch and announced the availability of free bus options. Station staff were deployed to assist commuters with navigating the alternative transport options.
By 12.50am, the last bridging bus passengers were being assisted to catch the final train at Tanah Merah towards Pasir Ris. At 1.01am, SMRT confirmed that all train and bus services had ended.
In a detailed statement, SMRT Trains President Lam Sheau Kai confirmed the fault originated from the UPS system, which supports the line’s signalling. “Our staff were immediately deployed to assist commuters, and engineers were on-site to carry out rectification works,” he said.
Announcements were made both onboard trains and in stations to inform commuters, and online updates were issued throughout the incident.
The 16 September disruption is the fourth service issue affecting the MRT network in the month of September.
On 14 September, a train fault caused a 40-minute disruption on the North-South Line between Newton and Ang Mo Kio stations.
Earlier in the month, on 2 September, a train fault delayed travel on the North-South Line between Woodlands and Yishun stations.
On 1 September, a service interruption on the Circle Line affected three stations between Marina Bay and Promenade in the morning due to another train fault.
