Transport Woes...

Punggol LRT service not available due to systems fault


Free regular and bridging bus services are available at the Punggol Bus Interchange and designated stops near affected stations.

Sep 13, 2025

SINGAPORE – Train service on the Punggol LRT line resumed full service about 3 hours after a systems fault led to a disruption on the morning of Sept 13.

In a social media post on X at 5.14am, train operator SBS Transit said that Punggol LRT service is not available due to a systems fault.

In an update at 6.08am, it added that free regular and bridging bus services are available at the Punggol Bus Interchange and designated stops near affected stations.


It also advised commuters to follow directional signs to get to these boarding points, and to log on to the SBS Transit mobile app, or the LTA MyTransport mobile app, to view alternative transport options.

SBS Transit’s passenger service teams are also on site to assist commuters, the train operator said in an update at about 7.28am.

This is the third disruption to the Punggol LRT service to have occurred in just over a month.

On Aug 12, a failure of the power switchboard at the North-East Line’s depot substation crippled services on the entire Sengkang-Punggol LRT, as well as an 11-stop stretch between Farrer Park and Punggol Coast MRT stations on the NEL.

The LRT system was disrupted for about 10 hours that day.

On Aug 15, trains on the Sengkang-Punggol LRT system were disrupted for about four hours after resumed full service about four hours after a power fault.

MRT service resumes between Newton and AMK after nearly 40-minute disruption: SMRT​

The disruption affected commuters at six stations: Newton, Novena, Toa Payoh, Braddell, Bishan and Ang Mo Kio.

Sep 14, 2025

SINGAPORE – A train fault occurred along the North-South Line, resulting in a 40-minute disruption on Sept 14 – the second such disruption in September along the line.

In its initial social media post at 11.44am, transport operator SMRT advised commuters to factor in an additional 25 minutes of travelling time on trains from Newton to Ang Mo Kio stations, in the direction of Jurong East.

The disruption affected commuters at six stations: Newton, Novena, Toa Payoh, Braddell, Bishan and Ang Mo Kio.

At 12.21pm, SMRT said train service between the affected stations had resumed, and that the free regular bus service for commuters had ceased.


In a post on SMRT’s Facebook page at 12.52pm, Mr Lam Sheau Kai, president of SMRT Trains, said the line encountered a train fault between the affected stations at around 11.35am, and the company immediately deployed staff to rectify the fault.

“After commuters in the faulty train were safely disembarked, the affected train was taken out of service,” Mr Lam said, apologising for the delay.

On Sept 2, a train fault, also along the North-South Line, saw passengers’ journeys delayed by 25 minutes when travelling from Woodlands to Yishun towards the Marina South Pier station. The 45-minute-long disruption affected commuters at five stations: Woodlands, Admiralty, Sembawang, Canberra and Yishun.
The Punggol LRT Line, operated by SBS Transit, saw train services disrupted for about three hours on Sept 13 – the third disruption to the Punggol LRT service in just over a month.

In September, quarterly numbers from the Land Transport Authority showed that the MRT network’s reliability over the 12 months ending June 2025 fell to its lowest level since 2020.

However, reliability on the LRT network showed improved performance.

Disruption in EWL MRT service on Sept 16 due to fault in power supply system: SMRT​

Free regular and bridging bus services were rolled out between Aljunied and Tanah Merah stations on the East-West Line on Sept 16.

Sep 16, 2025

SINGAPORE – The train service disruption on the night of Sept 16 was due to a fault in the power supply system that caused a signalling failure, SMRT said in an update on the morning of Sept 17.

Train service became unavailable at MRT stations between Aljunied and Tanah Merah on the East-West Line late on Sept 16.

In an update on its social media platforms at 4.30am on Sept 17, SMRT said that at around 11pm on Sept 16, “a fault in the Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) system caused a signalling failure”, resulting in a disruption to train service on the six-station stretch.

Train services are running normally, the transport operator added.

“We apologise for the disruption and inconvenience caused, and thank you for your patience and understanding,” said SMRT Trains president Lam Sheau Kai.

In an earlier post at 1.01am, SMRT said train services had ended and free regular and bridging bus services had also ceased.

The six affected MRT stations were Tanah Merah, Bedok, Kembangan, Eunos, Paya Lebar and Aljunied.

In an update on social media platform X at 11.17pm, operator SMRT said there was no train service available between the six stations.

Free regular and bridging bus services were rolled out between Aljunied and Tanah Merah, SMRT added, and station staff were deployed to assist passengers.

Passengers were advised to take the Thomson-East Coast Line, Circle Line or Downtown Line to continue their journey, SMRT said.

Those travelling to Pasir Ris and Changi Airport were advised to take the Downtown Line at Bugis.

Passengers on the East-West Line were earlier in the night delayed by at least 20 minutes because the signalling fault affected the six stations, SMRT said in a post on X at 11pm.

The operator had advised passengers to “add 20 minutes” of train travel time.

This is the fourth disruption on the MRT network this month.

On Sept 14, a train fault occurred along the North-South Line, affecting the stretch from Newton to Ang Mo Kio MRT stations. This resulted in a 40-minute disruption.

On Sept 2, passengers on a five-station stretch from Woodlands to Yishun stations had their journeys delayed owing to a train fault along the North-South Line.

On the morning of Sept 1, service along a three-station stretch between Marina Bay and Promenade stations on the Circle Line became unavailable after a train fault.

Delay on MRT service on TEL between Woodlands North and Bayshore stations​

Sep 17, 2025

SINGAPORE – Train service between Woodlands North and Bayshore stations on the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) was disrupted on the morning of Sept 17 due to a signal fault.

In a post on X and Facebook at 7.29am, train operator SMRT urged commuters to allow for an additional 15 minutes of travelling time on the 27-station stretch, in both directions.

In an update at 7.55am, SMRT said free regular bus services between Woodlands North and Bayshore are available.

SMRT added in an update at 8.14am that its engineers are working to recover train services and urged commuters heading towards the city centre to take the North-South Line, Circle Line or Downtown Line.

It also encouraged affected commuters to download an e-Travel Chit as proof of their travel at https://smrttravelchit.sg/.

Ms Pei Wen Kok was heading from Woodlands South to Caldecott station at around 7.10am when the MRT train she was in stopped between the Woodlands South and Springleaf stations for about an hour minutes.

Ms Kok said she was worried as she was rushing to her workplace at 8am, and that it was very hot inside the packed train.

“Everyone was pissed because there was a train announcement for a delay of 15 minutes but the train was not moving to any stops for a much longer time” said the 32-year-old human resource executive.


SMRT said free regular bus services between Woodlands North and Bayshore are available.

The train she was in moved one stop to Springleaf station by 8.15am where she was able to catch a free regular bus to work.

This is the second train disruption in less than 12 hours, after service for six stations on the East-West Line was affected late on the night of Sept 16 due to a fault in the power supply system.