Signalling fault delays MRT services for more than 4 hours on North-South Line

• A signalling fault, which began around 5.45am, affected 10 MRT stations 
• It was resolved at 10.10am after rail operator SMRT reset its signalling system
• Commuters making their way to central Singapore were late for work
• Trains moved slowly and stopped at some of the affected stations for between five and 15 minutes 

SINGAPORE — A signalling fault during rush hour on Monday (March 29) morning held up MRT services for more than four hours along a stretch of the North-South Line.

The fault initially affected eight stations from Raffles Place to Toa Payoh but, as the morning wore on, it hit the Braddell and Bishan stops as well. 

News of the delays surfaced around 5.45am, when rail company SMRT said in an alert on Twitter that commuters should expect a 25-minute hold-up between Raffles Place and Toa Payoh stations.

Free regular bus services and bridging buses were available.

An hour later, SMRT told commuters to avoid taking trains between Bishan and Marina South Pier stations.

A tweet that soon followed said that services would be delayed by 35 minutes between Raffles Place and Novena stations. 

At 7.30am, SMRT said that the delay had lengthened to 45 minutes, between Raffles Place and Bishan.

The rail operator then advised commuters to take other routes on the East-West Line via Jurong East, Circle Line via Bishan, or the North-East and Downtown lines.

A Facebook post by SMRT, updated at about 8.20am, said that there was more congestion at Toa Payoh and Ang Mo Kio stations.

“In-train and station announcements are being made to advise commuters to seek alternative travel options. Our staff are on-site to assist affected commuters.” 

Several irate commuters, however, took to social media to complain about the lack of announcements and directions on the train platforms.  

In its next update, SMRT said that it would reset its signalling system around 10am. Train services between Toa Payoh and Marina South Pier were suspended for about 10 minutes.

The fault was cleared at 10.10am and rail services progressively resumed.

In a statement on Monday afternoon, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said that the signalling fault occurred between Newton and City Hall stations, and SMRT’s crew had to drive the trains manually at a slower speed along the affected stretch. 

Based on early investigations, there was a software issue with the system, which was rebooted as a precaution to rectify the fault.

“LTA is working closely with SMRT and (signalling system supplier) Thales to look into the root cause of this incident. We will provide an update once we have details from the investigation.”

FRUSTRATED COMMUTERS 

At about 9.10am, TODAY boarded a city-bound train at Bishan MRT Station. It pulled into Orchard station, five stops away, only around 10.15am.

It typically takes just 12 minutes to travel between Bishan and Orchard. 

The train stopped for five to 15 minutes at each station and up to five minutes between stops. 

Most commuters were on their way to work and were visibly frustrated with the long delays.

Bank analyst Thomas Huang, 34, said that he left Ang Mo Kio MRT Station at 8.35am and reached Raffles Place, which is 10 stops away, only around 10.25am. 

He was meant to start work at 9am. 

He did not consider other transport options such as buses or taxis. He reckoned that there would be high demand for them, which would cause other delays.

“The train stopped in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the railway,” he said.  

Mr Darren Wang, 38, an investment specialist at a bank, was late for a meeting at 9.30am because of the delays, and had to tune in to it on the train via video-conferencing tool Zoom.

Mr Wang boarded a train around 8.30am at Canberra MRT Station. He would usually arrive at Orchard, where his workplace is, by 9.15am, but he got there an hour later on Monday.  

He told TODAY at Toa Payoh MRT Station that he would have taken a taxi instead, but he was just several stops from his destination.

“I wouldn’t be the only one taking the taxi. It might not be wise to leave the train. The supply simply can’t meet the demand,” he said. 

Civil servant Harvin Singh, 32, set off from Admiralty MRT Station at 8.50am for his workplace in Outram. 

He had not heard the announcement to add an extra 45 minutes to his journey until his train stopped for a prolonged period at Ang Mo Kio. 

That was when he went online and found news reports on the delays. He then told his supervisor that he could be up to an hour late for work.

This is the second rail incident in two days.

On Sunday, a power fault tripped up services for three hours between Serangoon and Punggol stations on the North-East Line, which is run by the other rail operator SBS Transit.

The fault with the overhead catenary system, which supplies power to trains, at Buangkok MRT Station was traced to a malfunctioning insulator, which has been replaced.

LTA said that it was working with SBS Transit to speed up replacement of the rest of the insulators by June. 

The authority added: “To have two incidents over two days is very unfortunate and frustrating. They occurred over two separate lines, each for different reasons. 

“We apologise for the inconveniences caused.”

In December last year, a signalling fault disrupted train services on the SMRT-run Thomson-East Coast Line for more than five hours.

And in October last year, a massive disruption across the East-West, North-South and Circle lines during the evening rush hour affected the commutes of more than 120,000 people. The fault was traced to a rusted circuit breaker and damaged power cable along the East-West Line’s Tuas West Extension.

A total of 36 stations were affected and more than 6,700 passengers had to be let out of stalled trains.