LTA Report Finds Circle Line Least Reliable in Q1 2024; Downtown Line Takes Top Spot

With a robust public transport network as a source of pride for Singapore, MRT delays and breakdowns have become an easy source of ire for the public.

But have you ever wondered which line is the most and least reliable?

LTA Finds Downtown Line Most Reliable for 5th Year Straight

On 11 July this year, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) updated its Performance of Rail Service Reliability report.

The report tracks breakdown stats up till Q1 of 2024, that being January to March.

Reliability was measured by the mean distance travelled between train delays lasting over five minutes.

For 2024 Q1, the Downtown Line (DTL) took the top spot for most reliable by far, having travelled an average of 8.15 million km between delays.

It has been the most reliable train line since 2020, according to the LTA report.

The DTL being the most recent could have contributed to its stellar performance. As for disappointed hardcore fans of the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL), LTA did not include it in the stats as it isn’t fully open yet.

The second place lagged behind by over 3 million km, with the silver medal being given to the East-West Line (EWL) at 5.05 million km travelled between delays.

Third and fourth place stuck close together in the form of the North-East Line (NEL) and North-South Line (NSL) respectively.

Last and certainly least, the Circle Line (CCL) fell short as the most unreliable MRT line with just 1.03 million km covered between delays.

No wonder it was the setting for a local horror movie.

Comparing the Q1 stats to the past few years, 2020 appeared to be an especially bad time for our trains, barely surpassing the 2 million km mark.

In the years since, almost all train lines have improved. Some practically skyrocketed like the DTL and EWl while others apparently peaked early and stagnated like the NEL.

The CCL is the only train line with a downward trend. Its reliability fell from 1.73 million km between delays in 2020.

Hopefully, LTA can hire some good tuition teachers to get the Circle Line’s grades back up before the exams.

Bukit Panjang LRT Line Least Reliable in Singapore.

In terms of the LRT networks, the Sengkang-Punggol LRT (SPLRT) plummeted in reliability from 2023, going from 1.22 million km travelled to 814,000 km between delays.

The Bukit Panjang LRT (BPLRT) also suffered a drop from 248,000 km to 173,000 km, making it the overall least reliable line in Singapore according to the LTA report.

The BPLRT also suffered the only LRT delay lasting over 30 minutes in Q1 this year.

Only 1 MRT Breakdown in Q1 of 2024

Q1 2024 has seen 1 MRT Line delay over 30 minutes, that belonging to the Circle Line.

This is likely the 22 March signalling fault between Promenade and Nicoll Highway MRT stations, resulting in delays of 30 minutes.

The CCL also suffered another delay of 30 minutes on 29 April (Q2), certainly not helpful for the train line’s overall reliability for the rest of the year.

It won’t be alone on the table for the year though, as the EWL kindly decided to join it in a 30-minute delay on 4 July, likely to be counted in Q3.