Acting Transport Minister says spate of train service disruptions are ‘disappointing for all of us, and we can and will do better.’

SINGAPORE: Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow has called the recent spate of train service outages “disappointing” in a social media post published after the East-West Line experienced a five-hour disruption on Wednesday (Aug 6), thanks to a track point fault.

Thousands of commuters were left frustrated and scrambling for alternatives during the peak hour service outage. The latest disruption has drawn concern over rail reliability, especially since it follows a string of rail incidents affecting various lines across the island in just the past few weeks.

On July 1, services on the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) were disrupted for over an hour due to a signalling fault. The Bukit Panjang LRT system also experienced two service suspensions in July due to power faults.

In a Facebook post published on Wednesday evening, Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow acknowledged the disruptions and clarified that the recent spate of incidents is “unrelated and occurred on different lines.”

Noting that works like point machine servicing at the East-West Line is a “laborious process,” the first-term Member of Parliament said, “Our maintenance engineers work very hard to keep point machines working.”

While acknowledging that train delays “cannot be eliminated entirely,” the Acting Minister stressed the need to improve real-time communication with commuters during disruptions, both online and at stations.

“What can improve is how we get information to commuters during a delay, and guide commuters to find alternative routes to their destinations,” he said.

During disruptions, operators are expected to make onsite announcements and deploy additional service staff. Mr Siow advised commuters to use the Land Transport Authority’s (LTA) MyTransport.SG app for updates, as well as apps by SMRT and SBS Transit for alternative route planning. He also revealed that LTA will work with rail operators to conduct more regular emergency drills to enhance support for passengers during service disruptions.

Calling the recent spate of faults “disappointing,” Mr Siow said, “We can and will do better. The One Transport family will continue to work hard to strengthen our rail system.”

Commuters have expressed growing concern over rail reliability, calling for greater transparency and faster response times during disruptions.

Transport authorities and operators are now under renewed pressure to restore public confidence in the MRT system.