Track fault on East-West Line causes delays, frustration among commuters

SINGAPORE: A track fault at Jurong East MRT station early this morning has caused significant delays and frustration for commuters on the East-West Line (EWL). The fault, which occurred around 5am, resulted in trains travelling at slower speeds, adding up to 30 minutes to travel times.

At 7.25am, SMRT announced the fault on their Facebook page, informing commuters of the slower speeds and the need to allow for additional travel time.

Free regular bus and bridging bus services were made available between Clementi and Boon Lay stations to mitigate the impact. Commuters were advised to use alternative lines, including the North-South Line (NSL), Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL), and Downtown Line (DTL), to reach their destinations.

Despite these measures, commuters expressed their frustration and confusion over the instructions provided by SMRT. Many felt the communication was inadequate and poorly timed.

One commuter highlighted the impracticality of the advice given: “The announcement keeps emphasizing to people to take alternate lines which is not applicable for people who are stuck in trains and on platforms! Hope SMRT has some common sense & empathy. The announcement done by station staff, their tones are very fierce too. Maybe they should not even say much. How can we get into the North-South Line or Downtown Line when we first need to get to the interchange station JE! We are anxious while stuck at Lakeside MRT. Bridging bus is only at Boon Lay MRT & Clementi MRT only.”

Another commuter criticized the timing of the information release: “You have a track fault at JE from 5am, but then you don’t broadcast the info till now, when the rush hour crowds are already on the trains and on the way there? And I also don’t see any info boards displayed at the red line stations to inform commuters on it. Most of the people are clueless about the situation and could have taken alternate routes to avoid.”

Further frustration was voiced over the perceived underestimation of delays: “You sure it is just up to 30 mins? More than an hour and I am still stuck at JE. No announcement for bus service. Just announcing to take NSL to Raffles Place and City Hall. Not the first time train/track fault! With so much experience, SMRT can do better than this.”

Another commuter pointed out the lack of clear communication: “The announcement on the train towards JE from Woodlands said there is a fault but never mentioned where and how it disturbs. So nobody cares. It should be something like ‘trains from JE to Clementi are affected’. Work on your communication.”

SMRT has assured that engineers are on-site working to rectify the fault and restore normal service as soon as possible. They have apologized for the inconvenience caused and emphasized that the safety of commuters is their top priority.

As of now, commuters are encouraged to remain patient and consider alternative routes as the situation is being resolved.

Further updates will be provided by SMRT as they become available.

Due to the disruption, taxi bookings via apps have surged. For example, taking a cab from Lakeside MRT to the city costs S$52.30.