Signalling fault holds up train services on Downtown Line
Commuters travelling on the Downtown MRT Line towards Expo MRT Station in April 2020.
SINGAPORE — A signalling fault slowed train services between 12 stations on the Downtown MRT Line for several hours on Monday (Dec 28) evening.
In a Twitter post at about 6.50pm, operator SBS Transit first warned the public to expect a 15-minute delay between Expo and Geylang Bahru stations.
In updates at 8.20pm, 9.20pm and 11pm, the rail operator said commuters should add up to 20 minutes of extra travelling time between those stations in both directions.
It was only at 1.05am on Tuesday that SBS Transit said the line had returned to regular service.
“Once again, we are very sorry for the inconvenience,” it added.
There are 34 stations on the Downtown Line.
Irate commuters lamented the delays on Twitter, with some saying that the trains were delayed by up to 30 minutes and were stopping at stations for longer than usual.
On Dec 4, a signalling fault disrupted train services between Woodlands North and Woodlands South stations on the Thomson-East Coast Line for more than five hours.
On Oct 14, a massive disruption involving 36 stations across three MRT lines affected the evening commutes of about 123,000 people, as a section of power cables along the East-West Line's Tuas West Extension burnt through and a circuit breaker was faulty.
The Thomson-East Coast and East-West lines are operated by SMRT.
