East-West Line MRT disruption will extend to 26 Sept, no service between four stations
The lengthy disruption on the East-West Line (EWL) will extend to a second day as four stations will have no service on Thursday (26 Sept).
The affected stretch is between Jurong East and Buona Vista stations, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) in a Facebook post on Wednesday night.
Source: @singaporebuses on TikTok
No MRT but shuttle trains & free buses available on 26 Sept
While trains won’t run between Jurong East and Buona Vista, shuttle trains will operate between Boon Lay and Jurong East, and between Buona Vista and Queenstown.
They will run at 10-minute intervals, LTA said.
The service will be complemented by free regular bus services between Boon Lay and Queenstown and free bridging bus services between Jurong East and Buona Vista on 26 Sept.
Source: SMRT on Facebook
More buses & staff to be deployed
More bridging buses, including double-deckers, and staff will be deployed to manage crowds at Jurong East and Buona Vista.
This is “to manage the expected high volume of passengers transferring from trains to buses” at these stations, LTA added.
Numerous photos were posted across social media of the large crowds waiting for buses outside affected stations on Wednesday (25 Sept).
Source: Raymond Tham on Facebook
No MRT service as engineers must work through 26 Sept
The continued disruption is necessary for LTA and SMRT engineers to work on the tracks, LTA said.
The engineers are already working into the night since they commenced recovery works after the rain stopped on Wednesday afternoon.
Source: SMRT on Facebook
However, the damage to the MRT tracks is “extensive”, so more time is required to do the necessary repairs and replacements.
Thus, the engineers will be working throughout Thursday as well, SMRT said on Facebook.
LTA and SMRT are also thoroughly checking all the first-generation Kawasaki Heavy Industries trains overnight before they are put into service.
Source: SMRT on Facebook
PSLE candidates not penalised for being late due to disruption
Unfortunately, Thursday is also the first day of the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE), so parents and students might be concerned that the disruption might cause them to be late for their exams.
To that end, the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) will not penalise candidates for being late due to train service disruptions.
They will be given the full duration of the paper if they reach the exam centre before the end of the paper.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) has posted an advisory on Facebook on steps candidates can take if the disruption has caused them to be late.
Source: Ministry of Education, Singapore on Facebook
LTA will conduct thorough investigation: Minister
Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat, who posted on Facebook at 5pm on Wednesday, said he had been informed of the disruption in Beijing, where he is attending a forum.
In his post, he foretold that there was a “possibility” that normal train service would not be able to resume on Thursday.
He also promised that LTA would conduct a “thorough investigation to ascertain what happened and identify areas for improvement”.
Expressing his appreciation to transport workers, who are working hard to restore the train service as soon as possible, he thanked Singapore commuters for their patience.
Disruption started on 25 Sept morning
The EWL disruption started on Wednesday morning, when an eastbound train developed a fault near Clementi station.
This meant that passessgers had to detrain and walk on the track to the station.
Source: 小红薯63694916 on XiaoHongShu
As the damaged train was being withdrawn, a power trip occurred at 9.25am which caused a number of trains to stall between Queenstown and Boon Lay stations.
It was determined that the damaged train had damaged the tracks, including the running rails and the third rail that supplies power to the train.
As the damage was extensive, normal train services in both directions couldn’t resume between Boon Lay and Queenstown MRT stations for the rest of the day.
Also read: Lightning strike causes 2-hour MRT service disruption along North-South Line on 3 June
Lightning strike causes 2-hour MRT service disruption along North-South Line on 3 June
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Featured image adapted from @singaporebuses on TikTok and 小红薯63694916 on XiaoHongShu.
