Transport Woes...

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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.

 

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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.

 

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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.

 

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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.

 

[bic_cherry]

Abolishment of accountability (no more by-elections vz GRC system), means frequent train disruptions are an expected outcome.


https://ibb.co/hx3d8zLc

Thread 'Abolishment of By-elections (GRC system), means train disruptions are a realistic expectation.'

Sep 23, 2025

Abolishment of accountability (no more by-elections vz GRC system), means frequent train disruptions are an expected outcome.


Honestly, PAP will never achieve top notch rail service [Ref.3] because our parliament elections system is now tainted (corrupted).

GRC was never designed primarily to include minorities. It was principally designed to reduce ruling party political accountability because pre 1988 (when GRC was then introduced), there was in average, one by-election every GE cycle.
Thereafter, although total size of parliament grew by at least double digits %, by-elections became...

• bic_cherry
• Replies: 0
• Forum: The Political / Serious Zone [no rep deductions]

 

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Recent MRT disruptions isolated, not systemic in nature: SMRT Trains president​

On the morning of Sept 17, a signaling fault at about 7.10am caused a two-hour disruption on the Thomson-East Coast Line.


Summary

• SMRT addresses recent rail disruptions, stating they are isolated incidents, not systemic issues, and apologises for the inconvenience caused to passengers.
• SMRT will work with LTA, conducting assessments, technical audits, and improving incident response to minimise recovery time and prioritise passenger safety.
• Commuters had expressed frustration over underestimated delay times; SMRT acknowledges the need for improved communication during disruptions.

AI generated

Sep 17, 2025

SINGAPORE – The three rail disruptions that have occurred over the last four days on lines operated by SMRT are isolated cases and “not systemic issues across the rail network”, said Mr Lam Sheau Kai, president of SMRT Trains.

“We recognise the inconvenience these incidents cause, and sincerely apologise to affected commuters,” Mr Lam told reporters on Sept 17, hours after a signalling fault at about 7.10am caused a two-hour disruption across the entire Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL).

SMRT had initially warned of delays of up to 15 minutes, but later suspended services on the TEL for about 30 minutes to reset the signalling system, leaving some passengers stranded on board trains for an hour.

The signalling system directs rail traffic, keeps trains a safe distance from each other, and ensures they run according to schedule.

Mr Lam said SMRT is working with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the signalling system’s manufacturer to investigate the Sept 17 fault. The TEL’s signalling system is supplied by French company Alstom.

There have been at least five disruptions across the MRT network in September alone, including the latest on Sept 17, as well as those on the East-West Line (EWL) on Sept 16 and North-South Line (NSL) on Sept 14.

The latest trip-ups follow a string of rail disruptions in July and August, including on the Bukit Panjang LRT line, as well as the SBS Transit-run North East Line, Sengkang-Punggol LRT system and Downtown Line.

Before this spate of incidents, the MRT network’s overall reliability had already fallen to its lowest level since 2020, according to LTA’s latest statistics for the 12 months ending June 2025.

At a press briefing at Kim Chuan Depot on Sept 17, Mr Lam said SMRT will work closely with LTA on three areas moving forward, with the first being a detailed assessment of SMRT’s rail assets.

In addition to the TEL, SMRT runs the NSL, EWL and Circle Line (CCL). It also operates the Bukit Panjang LRT.

Mr Lam pledged to strengthen the management of SMRT’s rail system, and speed up asset renewal and upgrading where needed. This is part of the operator’s commitment to reliability, he said.

Second, SMRT and LTA will carry out technical audits of the operator’s critical systems. This is to “identify gaps, areas for improvement and response procedure”, he said. These include audits on the power, signalling, train and track systems.

Finally, when handling incidents, SMRT will do its best to shorten the recovery time, while applying a safety-first approach for passengers and staff, Mr Lam said.

“Safety precautionary measures, which typically take two to three hours, are necessary to ensure the protection of all,” he added.

Addressing complaints by passengers caught in disruptions who felt that SMRT had downplayed the length of delays, Mr Lam acknowledged that there is room for improvement.

“For each incident, the impact on each commuter varies depending on where one is within the train network,” he said.

“This is an area that we are looking to work on with LTA.”

Passengers affected by the TEL disruption on the morning of Sept 17 had told The Straits Times that there was frustration at initial announcements about a delay of 15 minutes, when the trains they were on had stopped moving for a much longer time.

“Everyone was upset,” said one commuter, a 32-year-old human resources executive who wanted to be known only as Ms Kok.

A signalling fault at about 7.10am on Sept 17 caused a disruption across the entire Thomson-East Coast Line.

ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI

Mr Alvin Lee, a manager in healthcare operations who managed to take an alternative route to Woodlands, said: “While disruption is unavoidable, the frequency of updates by SMRT on train disruptions can be improved.”

The Sept 17 disruption resulted in 18 students being late for their N-level examination, but they were not penalised and later given the full duration of their paper.

Mr Lam pointed out that SMRT is testing new crowd management measures and way-finding signs at Jurong East MRT station to improve its response to rail disruptions.

These measures, which include the deployment of more staff on the ground and providing them with high-visibility vests and portable speakers, will be rolled out progressively to other major MRT interchanges, the rail operator had told ST.

Details of other MRT disruptions in September​

Sept 16​

Late on Sept 16, train services were halted on a six-station stretch of the EWL, between Aljunied and Tanah Merah stations.

The disruption, which happened at about 11pm, was caused by a faulty component in the power system, Mr Lam said. This in turn caused a signalling failure.

Mr Lam said the faulty part has been isolated, and normal train service resumed on the morning of Sept 17.

Sept 14​

At about 11.45am on Sept 14, a faulty train on the NSL caused delays of up to 25 minutes along a six-station stretch between Ang Mo Kio and Newton.

Passengers had to disembark before another train could move the faulty one away, thereby allowing service to resume, said Mr Lam.

Sept 2​

On Sept 2, a faulty train caused a 45-minute disruption on a five-station stretch of the NSL.

At about 8.20pm, SMRT warned commuters to factor in an additional 25 minutes of travel time between Woodlands and Yishun stations.

Sept 1​

A faulty train disrupted service on the CCL during the morning peak period on Sept 1.

The disruption affected a three-station stretch between Marina Bay and Promenade.

 

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18 students late for N-level paper after MRT disruption; all given full duration to sit exam: SEAB​

At about 7.30am on Sept 17, service on a section of the TEL stretching to 27 stations was disrupted by a signalling fault.

ST PHOTO: KELVIN CHNG

Sep 17, 2025

SINGAPORE – There were 18 students who were late for the GCE N(A)-level humanities exam because of the two-hour Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) disruption on the morning of Sept 17.

A spokesperson for the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB), in response to queries, said the students were not penalised.

She said: “They arrived before the end of the paper and were given time to settle down before sitting the paper. All of them were given the full duration of the paper.”


All candidates, she added, will be given the full duration of the paper if they reach the examination centre before the end of the paper.

Each year, SEAB issues guidelines for all exam candidates – for instance, making sure they give themselves enough travel time on their exam days, and what to do if they are affected by a major train service disruption.

At about 7.30am on Sept 17, service on a section of the TEL stretching 27 stations was disrupted by a signalling fault.

SMRT first said there was a signal fault between Woodlands North and Bayshore stations in a Facebook post at 7.29am.

At 8.54am, SMRT said train service had resumed, and that free regular and bridging bus services had ended.

SMRT Trains president Lam Sheau Kai later in the day said the recent MRT disruptions are isolated cases and “not systemic issues across the rail network”.

The train disruption on Sept 17 was the fifth to hit the MRT network this month.

Late on Sept 16, a six-station stretch of the East-West Line was unavailable owing to a fault in the power supply system that led to a signalling failure.

On Sept 14, a train fault occurred along the North-South Line, resulting in a 40-minute disruption. On Sept 2, there were delays across a five-station stretch
from Woodlands to Yishun stations on the same MRT 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.

Other than the TEL, SMRT operates the North-South Line, East-West Line and Circle Line. It also operates the Bukit Panjang LRT line.

According to latest figures from the Land Transport Authority, the MRT network’s reliability over the 12 months ending June 2025 fell to its lowest level since 2020.

 

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LTA forms new task force with rail operators to tackle MRT, LRT disruptions​

SMRT staff directing the public at Outram Park MRT station during the disruption of train service on the Thomson-East Coast Line on Sept 17.

Summary

• A task force will be formed by LTA, SMRT and SBS Transit to improve rail reliability after at least 15 recent disruptions, and it will submit recommendations by end-2025.
• The task force will review the maintenance and operation of critical systems as well as decision-making during disruptions, focusing on upgrades and faster service recovery.
• Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow has asked LTA to share more information with the public on the authority’s ongoing investigations into the recent disruptions.

AI generated

Sep 19, 2025

SINGAPORE - A new task force comprising industry experts and senior leaders from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and rail operators SMRT and SBS Transit will be formed to find immediate solutions to improve rail reliability and responses to service disruptions.

This comes after at least 15 instances of delays and interruptions across the MRT and LRT networks over the past three months, with the latest involving the suspension of train service on the Thomson-East Coast Line during the morning peak on Sept 17.

The new task force will report its findings regularly to Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow and submit its final recommendations by the end of 2025, said LTA, SMRT and SBS Transit in a joint statement on Sept 19.

It will be chaired by LTA chief executive Ng Lang and include SMRT group chief executive Ngien Hoon Ping, who was previously LTA chief, as well as SBS Transit group chief executive Jeffrey Sim. LTA did not disclose which industry experts will be roped in.

The task force will review the recent service disruptions to identify components that may require replacement, upgrading or increased maintenance.

One area that will be looked at is whether the renewal programme for the North East Line (NEL) power system can be brought forward. No timeline was given.

The NEL and Sengkang-Punggol LRT system suffered a major electrical outage lasting several hours on Aug 12, with LTA later pledging to work with operator SBS Transit on longer-term upgrades to the power supply.

The task force will also review ways to strengthen the signalling system for the NEL and SMRT-run Circle Line in the short term before renewal is due, which typically happens around the 30-year mark.

The 22-year-old NEL and 16-year-old Circle Line use the same signalling system supplied by French company Alstom. This system is key as it directs rail traffic, keeps trains a safe distance from each other and ensures they run according to schedule.

The task force will also jointly carry out full technical audits of the maintenance and operation of critical systems, covering areas such as maintenance processes, staff training and competency, and the condition of rail assets.

Decision-making during a disruption is another area up for review, and the task force will look into ways to lower the impact of service delays on passengers.

This includes reviewing training regimes for officers on the ground, and relooking procedures to quicken service recovery and reduce the number of instances where passengers have to alight from trains between stations.

Called “detrainment”, the scenario lengthens service recovery times as added precautions need to be taken to ensure that it is safe for passengers to walk along the tracks.

In a Facebook post on Sept 19, Mr Siow said he has asked LTA to share more information with the public on the authority’s ongoing investigations into the recent rail disruptions, as well as the steps that are being taken to address them.

“By keeping the public updated, I hope you can better understand the challenges and know that we are fully committed to keeping the network safe and reliable,” he added.

“I know commuters are frustrated when disruptions occur, especially after a period over the last few years when our rail reliability has been at a high level. Train systems are complex – many things can go wrong, even with redundancies in place,” Mr Siow wrote in his post.

This is the second time in two months that the Acting Transport Minister has responded to public outcry over rail reliability.

In early August, after a five-hour disruption on the East-West Line, Mr Siow described the slew of rail incidents then as “disappointing” and pledged to do better, though he also noted that the earlier incidents were on different lines and unrelated.

On Sept 17, SMRT Trains president Lam Sheau Kai took a similar tack when addressing the latest string of three service disruptions that occurred over four days on different lines run by the rail operator.

“These are isolated cases, not systemic issues across the rail network,” he told reporters during a press briefing at Kim Chuan Depot.

Before this recent spate of incidents, the MRT network’s overall reliability had already fallen to its lowest level since 2020, according to LTA’s latest statistics for the 12 months ending June 2025.

On average, MRT trains clocked 1.6 million train-km without delays that lasted more than five minutes, down from 1.98 million train-km in 2024.

This is, however, still above the Government’s target of one million train-km between delays for the rail network, which was set in 2017.

In a statement on Sept 19, National Transport Workers’ Union (NTWU) executive secretary Yeo Wan Ling said the union fully supports the establishment of the new task force, noting the collaborative efforts being made to improve the rail system.

The Punggol GRC MP added: “The NTWU... will continue to advocate strongly for the well-being of all public transport workers, ensuring that they are equipped with resources and training necessary to contribute effectively.”

---

Date: July 1
Line: Thomson-East Coast Line
Type: Signalling fault
Cause: A faulty computing unit in signalling equipment at Orchard station affected train service between Napier and Great World stations. The component has been replaced.

Date: July 3 and 19
Line: Bukit Panjang LRT
Type: Power fault
Cause: A malfunctioning network switch at Bangkit station led to a loss of communication to the traction power system. This caused the power supply to trip for safety reasons. The switch has been replaced.

Date: July 26
Line: Bukit Panjang LRT
Type: Power fault
Cause: The contact between a train collector shoe and a power rail was poor. The collector shoe has been realigned.

Date: Aug 6
Line: North-South Line and East-West Line
Type: Track point fault
Cause: A faulty track point, which controls the movement of trains from one track to another, caused a delay to the start of service at Jurong East and Kranji stations. The faulty cables have been replaced.

Date: Aug 12
Line: Sengkang-Punggol LRT and North East Line
Type: Power fault
Cause: A faulty voltage transformer at a substation in Sengkang Depot caused two interconnected switchboards that serve as backups to each other to trip. The voltage transformer has been replaced.

Date: Aug 15
Line: Sengkang-Punggol LRT
Type: Power fault
Cause: A faulty power cable between Farmway and Kupang stations led to a system-wide power outage. The backup power supply failed to kick in due to the damage caused by the Aug 12 incident. The faulty cable has been repaired, and all power cables have been checked.

Date: Aug 28
Line: Downtown Line
Type: Track point fault
Cause: A mechanical fault in a point machine, or a device that controls a track point, between Bukit Panjang and Cashew stations affected service to Beauty World. The fault has been rectified.

Date: Sept 1
Line: Circle Line
Type: Train fault
Cause: The insulation of a cable linked to an obstacle detector failed, causing a train to stall between Marina Bay and Bayfront stations. The cable has been replaced.

Date: Sept 2
Line: North-South Line
Type: Train fault
Cause: The signalling equipment on a train near Canberra station malfunctioned, stalling the train and affecting service from Woodlands to Yishun. A faulty connector has been replaced.

Date: Sept 13
Line: Sengkang-Punggol LRT (Punggol)
Type: Signalling fault
Cause: A faulty interface component on the signalling system limited the control of trains required for start of service. The faulty component has been replaced.

Date: Sept 14
Line: North-South Line
Type: Train fault
Cause: A train door fault caused the train to stall at Toa Payoh station, affecting service from Ang Mo Kio to Newton. The faulty train door component has been replaced.

Date: Sept 16
Line: East-West Line
Type: Signalling fault
Cause: The signalling system lost power due to a component failure in the uninterruptible power supply system – which provides backup power to facilitate rail operations during incidents – at Eunos station. This affected service between Aljunied and Tanah Merah stations. Power has been restored.

Date: Sept 17
Line: Thomson-East Coast Line
Type: Signalling fault
Cause: The central signalling servers encountered a fault. This required the servers to be rebooted. During this period, the trains were operated manually, which resulted in additional travelling time. Further investigation is ongoing.

 

[LITTLEREDDOT]

News analysis

Recent train breakdowns: New rail reliability task force takes page out of familiar playbook​

The reliability of Singapore's train services has yet again been thrust into the spotlight.

Sep 22, 2025

SINGAPORE – The recent spate of rail disruptions – and the response to it – has evoked a sense of deja vu.

Similar to the early 2010s and several periods thereafter, the reliability of train services has yet again been thrust into the spotlight, with the MRT and LRT networks hit by a string of disruptions in quick succession.

After three disruptions over four days in September – and at least 15 within three months – a new task force comprising technical specialists, as well as senior leaders from the rail operators and Land Transport Authority (LTA), will be formed to stem the decline in reliability.

As part of its remit, the task force will identify rail parts that need to be replaced, upgraded or maintained more often.

It will also carry out full technical audits of critical systems and review service recovery processes to reduce the blow of future disruptions to passengers.

This all sounds familiar.

For the past decade, the renewal of rail systems and parts, better incident response and improved maintenance regimes have all been key areas that the authorities and train operators have been working on and investing heavily in.

It was in 2011 that signs of deeper trouble began to surface in Singapore’s rail system.

That year was marked by multiple breakdowns that culminated in two North-South Line disruptions within days of each other, triggering a rare move by then Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to convene a Committee of Inquiry.

The six-week probe resulted in profuse apologies, criticisms about cultural and systemic issues, as well as a long list of recommendations that were put into practice by a joint team comprising officers from LTA and rail operator SMRT – a task force of sorts.

The measures included stepping up audits and introducing new technology to allow for preventive maintenance, with the idea that faulty parts can be repaired before they fail if warning signs are detected early.

A major upgrade of six core systems on the North-South and East-West lines (NSEWL), Singapore’s oldest MRT lines, was also set in motion in 2012.

Costing $2.6 billion and taking more than a decade to complete, the two lines were given new signalling systems, power supply and trains as part of the exercise.

Additionally, SMRT was said to have reviewed the way it managed large-scale disruptions, growing its customer service team from 190 to 700 and training officers on crowd control.

But what was meant to herald a new dawn turned out to be a mixed bag, as the subsequent years were blighted by major train incidents, despite reliability figures improving threefold on paper from 2015 to 2017.

To further tackle Singapore’s train woes, rail operators were made to ramp up their engineering and maintenance resources, and about $1 billion was committed towards hardware replacement and upgrading.

At the same time, earlier work to overhaul the NSEWL began to pay dividends, vastly raising the rail reliability figure.

A target set in 2017 for all MRT lines in Singapore to be delayed only once in every one million kilometres of operations was met in 2019.

That put the Republic on a par with the Taipei Metro, which was considered best-in-class then and remains so.

Again, it seemed like Singapore was ready to leave its reliability issues behind, as the MRT network’s mean kilometres between failures soared to two million.

However, despite the earlier gains, fresh issues have dogged the rail network.

In September 2024, a stretch of the East-West Line was crippled for six days, affecting millions of passengers.

And between July 2024 and June, the MRT network’s reliability dropped to its lowest level since 2020.

In contrast, since 2019, the Taipei Metro’s reliability has continued to hit new highs.

Over the past three months, rail reliability woes here appear to have worsened.

The question now is whether the new task force can nip the recent fall-off in the bud.

While LTA did not disclose which industry specialists will be roped in, some fresh and objective perspectives could be valuable.

For example, in 2015, veteran public servant Tan Gee Paw was appointed rail transformation adviser to then Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan, to tap the water engineer’s outside expertise.

Credited with helping the rail system to turn a corner, it was Mr Tan who called for street-smart, sharp-eyed engineers – or what he termed the “rat catchers” – to go beyond the usual codes of practice, walk through the system, and spot risks that need urgent fixing.

Mr Tan said then that third-party consultants or external engineers should not be the only solution.

“They will use the same codes of practice and design practices, and often conclude the system is by and large intact and what happened was unfortunate and can easily be rectified,” he had said.

Compared with previous periods of frequent disruptions, the circumstances today have also evolved.

From an engineering perspective, all of Singapore’s MRT lines continue to perform above the target of one million kilometres between delays of five minutes or more.

But anecdotally, there is a growing gap between performance on paper and the passenger experience on the ground.

Singapore’s rail network has also become much larger, growing from 175km to 271km between 2011 and 2024.

An expanded rail network, with more stations and equipment, means there is more complexity and many more parts and systems that could fail.

LTA has also taken on a more direct role in the rail system than before.

Beyond its role as the rail regulator, the fact that the authority owns all the assets means it is also the one making decisions on which trains and systems to buy and how certain asset renewals are done.

So, the buck may not stop solely with the rail operators.

One upside is that the task force’s recommendations, due by the end of 2025, will not lack financial backing.

In March, the Government announced a $1 billion injection of funds over the next five years to improve the management of rail assets and boost the capabilities of the rail workforce.

But with billions already shelled out to raise rail reliability, Singapore will need to go beyond a familiar playbook to stamp out the “rats” that could still be lurking in the system.

Otherwise, it could risk further rail reliability woes down the line.