Singapore’s East-West Line disruptions enter third day, full service expected Monday

SINGAPORE: Train disruptions on Singapore’s East-West Line entered their third day on Friday, with train operator SMRT working towards restoring full services by next Monday.

Train services between Jurong East and Buona Vista, covering four stations, remain affected despite the efforts of around 300 engineers and technicians to conduct repairs and checks on the damaged tracks and equipment.

To mitigate the impact on commuters, free regular bus and bridging bus services are available while around 620 staff from various agencies are on the ground to assist in managing the crowd.

Commuters’ woes began on Wednesday morning due to a faulty first-generation train that had been in service for over 35 years.

The train was withdrawn from service and was on its way back to the depot when it caused damage to the tracks, including the running rails and the third rail supplying power to the train, resulting in service disruptions affecting nine stations from Boon Lay to Queenstown on the first day.

Investigations by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and SMRT revealed that a defective train axle box had dropped, causing one of bogies to come off the running rail between Dover and Clementi stations.

Extensive damage to the track and trackside equipment was discovered.

Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat said that workers are faced with a challenging task, as they need to replace more than 30 damaged rail segments, each weighing over one tonne.

“They also need to repair the third rail and the power cables supplying electricity to the train, as well as the point machines, which require careful calibration and alignment,” he posted on Facebook on Thursday night after visiting the site.

Despite frustrations among affected commuters, many were seen expressing their support and cheering for the workers on SMRT’s social media page.

One Facebook user, Charley Koy, who was among the 850 commuters on board the faulty train, hopes that people can give the engineering team space to do their work.

“To the rest of the public, there is always more than one way to reach a destination. Yes, some unpleasant adjustments may be necessary, but the engineers need their space (yes, their families, friends, and they do have social media) to ensure everything is fixed correctly. Let’s give them this space so they can continue to do their best to restore services,” he commented.

Singapore’s MRT daily ridership averages around three million. Local media estimate that between 358,000 and 516,000 commuters have been affected by the ongoing disruption on the Green Line over the past two days.