Train fault at EW-Line delays commuters

A train fault Tuesday morning at Jurong East MRT station led to service disruptions along the East-West line for about an hour.

According to SMRT, eastbound commuters at stations between Joo Koon and Jurong East were delayed by up to 40 minutes after the fault occurred on an eastbound train at about 7:25am.

The train travelling behind the stalled train was used to assist and send the latter train back to the depot. Passengers on board the assisting train alighted at Jurong East MRT Station at 7:55am.

To minimise the impact of the train delay during peak hour, some trains were turned around at Jurong East, Clement and Queenstown MRT stations for the eastbound service.

SMRT said announcements were made at all affected stations and that signs were also placed in train stations to inform commuters that trains might be travelling at a slower speed due to the delay at the Jurong East station.

Commuters affected by the peak-hour train disruption were irate about the delay.

In a comment, Yahoo! user Fabian Low described the scene at the crowded Jurong East MRT platform. “There was confusion and chaos at Jurong East MRT station where the train broke down. I was stuck at the station for 20 minutes,” he said, adding that many people took pictures of the “crippled” train. 

Some users criticised how staff handled the situation.

“They [SMRT staff] placed a signage at Lakeside MRT mentioning trains might be travelling slower and nothing was stated in the train schedule board. However, the counter announced there were no train services towards Pasir Ris at all,” said Yahoo! user Spica Lee.

She added that the staff apologised and said they were waiting for instructions from the management, but “no solution was given”.

This incident comes after another train fault which occurred last Friday evening along the East-West Line. Eastbound commuters were delayed by up to 40 minutes when a train stalled between Tampines and Simei stations.