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Train delays happen in every city, we will work doubly hard to minimise them: Jeffrey Siow
He said the authorities are doing their best to improve their performance.
Khine Zin Htet
September 22, 2025, 01:31 PM
Following the recent train disruptions in Singapore, questions on rail reliability were raised in the Parliament sitting on Sep. 22, 2025.
Siow addressed 18 questions raised by Members of Parliament (MP) in a combined response.
He highlighted that despite the recent disruptions, Singapore’s MRT network remains “one of the most reliable systems in the world”."Train delays happen in every system, in every city," Siow highlighted.
He pointed out that just like cars break down, and phones and computers require restarting now and then, trains, too, will break down.
With that said, the ministry aims to minimise disruptions because of the inconvenience to commuters, and they will “work doubly hard” to do so, he said.Siow addressed specific incidents that happened in recent months.
Aug. 12 NEL/SPLRT and Aug. 15 SPLRT incidents
Siow first responded to questions from MPs Yeo Wan Ling, Poh Li San, Ng Chee Meng, and Jamus Lim on the North East Line (NEL) and Sengkang-Punggol LRT (SPLRT) breakdowns in Aug. 2025.
Two faults occurred at a substation at Sengkang Depot on Aug. 12, which cut off power to several parts of the NEL and SPLRT, he said.Works to repair the damage commenced that night but before the repair could be completed, a damaged cable caused a separate power fault on the SPLRT three days later.
On why it took a longer time to recover service on the SPLRT Aug. 12, Siow explained that LTA and SBS Transit had to take some time to determine that it was fully safe for power to be switched back on.
The root cause of these faults is still being investigated, with the faulty components having been sent to the manufacturer for checks.LTA is also investigating if there were any lapses in maintenance and regulatory action will be taken if so.
LTA and SBS Transit have also tested cables along the entire SPLRT network and will replace all voltage transformer panels across NEL intake substations, he said.
To provide further redundancy, plans have been made to install a secondary power supply source at Sengkang LRT Depot by the end of this year.
Jul. 3 and 19 BPLRT incidents
On the two Bukit Panjang Light Rail Transit (BPLRT) incidents in July, Siow said both incidents have been traced to a malfunctioning network switch.As the malfunctioning network switch was intermittently functioning, the defect was only discovered after the second incident, he said.
The switch has since been replaced.
The malfunction was not anticipated as the network switch was “well within its design life”, Siow said, adding that the switch has been sent to the manufacturer for investigation.The design of the BPLRT power system has also been reviewed, and additional measures to detect network instability and to enable the power system to automatically recover in such instances have been implemented.
Aug. 6 EWL and Sep. 2 NSL incidents
MPs Jackson Lam and Rachel Ong asked about incidents on the North South and East West Lines.
The incident on the EWL on the morning of Aug. 6 was caused by a faulty point machine near Jurong East station, Siow explained.Point machines physically move the rails so that trains can transfer from one track to another.
For safety reasons, trains were slowed down until after the morning peak when the point machine could be fixed.
“This resulted in more crowding than usual during the morning peak hours,” Siow said.
On the maintenance regime of the machines, he explained that operators carry out periodic inspections and comprehensive regular overhauls, including functional tests, as per industry best practices.However, the fault on Aug. 6 was detected just before the start of service, and could not be resolved by the morning peak, he said.
The incident on the NSL on Sep. 2, on the other hand, was caused by a stalled train, which had to be physically pushed out to Canberra station to disembark passengers, Siow said.
The problem was traced to a faulty connector, which has since been replaced.Rail Reliability Taskforce
Siow also spoke about the Rail Reliability Taskforce he announced on Sep. 19 to address rail reliability and service disruptions.This taskforce will focus on three areas, he said.
First, it will bring forward the renewal of critical systems, such as power supply and signalling, especially for the NEL and the Circle Line.Second, it will jointly conduct audits on the maintenance and operations of critical systems, including maintenance processes and staff training.
Third, it will review service recovery processes, so that better support can be provided to commuters caught in a train disruption.
Supporting commuters
Siow acknowledged that the recent disruptions have inconvenienced many commuters and assured commuters that they are doing their best to improve their performance.“We know we can do better because our reliability was indeed better in recent years. But even with the recent disruptions, our MRT network remains one of the most reliable systems in the world.”
"What is equally important is when a disruption inevitably happens, we can support commuters and guide them to continuing their journeys safely, with their understanding and cooperation," he said.
Deterrent effect of penalties
WP's Louis Chua asked a supplementary question on the S$2.4 million fine on SMRT for the 6-day train disruption on the East-West line in September 2024.This amount was S$600,000 less than the S$3 million penalty that LTA proposed on May 30, after concluding its investigations into what became one of the worst disruptions to the MRT system to date.
Chua asked if the reduction in the fine could lessen the deterrent effect of the penalty.Siow pointed out that the penalty was reduced upon appeal, calling it a "fair decision" that looked at the "respective responsibilities and culpability of the operator".
"They have made a case to say there were certain decisions that perhaps were out of their remit. We have looked at their case, and we have decided to reduce the penalties accordingly. And I think it was a reasonable decision," he said.
Supporting workers and investing in transport system
Ng Chee Meng posed a question on how the ministry or Land Transport Authority (LTA) will put in the necessary finances, engineering time, and training regimes to maintain an increased network of complexities to serve the public .They have to work very closely with the unions and the operators to support workers, Siow said.
Sharing that he have visited the workers himself, he pointed out that they go for quite a bit of training and are "excited" when engaging with new systems such as hydraulic systems and even condition monitoring.Most public transport systems don't get a lot of investment and money in the world, he added.
On the other hand, Singapore have invested a lot of money in our public transport system, he highlighted.
"So we are doing what we can, and I think there is no shortage of investment on that front, and we will be happy to work with the unions to see whether or not there are other things that we can do to support our workers in upgrading themselves," he said.
