SINGAPORE - SMRT Trains has apologised following a service disruption along the East-West Line during peak hour on Monday (May 30) morning .
Responding to queries from The Straits Times, SMRT Trains president Lam Sheau Kai said a signalling fault occurred at about 7.35am.
This affected east-bound trains between Paya Lebar and Tanah Merah stations, and between Lakeside and Buona Vista stations.
"We are sorry to have affected commuters' peak-hour journeys," added Mr Lam.
He said services were still available but the trains moved at a slower speed in these areas as a precautionary measure.
Commuters on trains and at stations were informed of the additional 10 minutes in travelling time along the affected sectors, with extra staff deployed to help manage the crowd.
Normal train services resumed from 9.10am.
The delay on Monday comes after a track point fault added 20 minutes in travelling time for commuters on the same line between Commonwealth and Redhill stations last Saturday (May 28).
SMRT tweeted at 6.23am that the trains travelling in both directions between the stations were affected.
It tweeted at 10.21am that normal services had resumed.
Communications executive Bessie Tan, 60, who was onboard an affected train on Monday (May 30), said her journey from her home in Tanah Merah to Tanjong Pagar took at least 15 minutes longer.
“The train stopped longer at each stop, sometimes for a few minutes,” she said. “Commuters had to cram into an already crowded train. From Lavender, we were packed like sardines.”
Ms Tan said a colleague in another train travelling in the same direction “felt faint and nauseous when she arrived at the office”.
“She had to see a doctor and took medical leave,” she added.
Ms Tan said there was no announcement on extra travelling time “or mention of any system fault”.
“The driver only announced the next station before each stop because the auto announcement failed,” she noted.
But her morning journey on Tuesday (May 31) was a breeze and took less than half an hour, she said. “The train was about a quarter to half full, and the journey was smooth.”
