Well, it doesn’t seem to end.
Singapore’s rail network faced back-to-back service disruptions across two major lines in 23 hours, affecting thousands of commuters during peak travel periods.
East-West Line Breakdown Hits Six Stations
The East-West Line experienced a complete service shutdown between Aljunied and Tanah Merah stations on the night of 16 Sep 2025. A fault in the uninterruptible power supply system triggered the signalling failure at approximately 11:00PM.
Six stations were affected: Aljunied, Paya Lebar, Eunos, Kembangan, Bedok, and Tanah Merah. SMRT initially reported delays of 20 minutes before suspending all train services between these stations.
Free regular and bridging bus services operated between the affected stations. Station staff were deployed to assist stranded passengers.
Normal operations resumed at 4:30AM on 17 Sep 2025.
Thomson-East Coast Line Faces Two-Hour Disruption
Less than 12 hours later, the Thomson-East Coast Line encountered a signal fault affecting services between Woodlands North and Bayshore stations. The disruption began early morning on 17 Sep 2025 and lasted approximately two hours.
SMRT announced at 8:30AM that no train services would operate in both directions between the affected stations. One commuter reported being trapped on a train since 6:35AM, with the train moving only one station in 45 minutes.
Staff at Outram Park MRT station’s TEL platform gave conflicting instructions about whether passengers could board trains. Large crowds gathered at the platform during the morning rush hour.
Previous Pattern of TEL Disruptions
The Thomson-East Coast Line has experienced multiple service interruptions in recent months. Three separate disruptions occurred within one week between December 2024 and January 2025.
A signalling fault in July 2025 caused delays between Napier and Great World stations for over one hour.
SMRT’s Recent Safety Record
The Land Transport Authority fined SMRT S$2.4 million (~S$2.4 million) for lapses that led to a six-day East-West Line disruption in September 2024. The fine was issued after investigations revealed multiple safety failures.
The September 2024 incident affected an estimated 500,000 out of 2.8 million daily train journeys. An axle box fell from a train onto the tracks, causing extensive damage between Dover and Clementi stations.
September’s Fourth MRT Incident
These two disruptions marked the third and fourth MRT incidents in September 2025. On 14 Sep 2025, a train malfunction on the North-South Line caused 40-minute delays between Newton and Ang Mo Kio stations.
Earlier in September, passengers faced delays between Woodlands and Yishun stations due to another North-South Line train issue on 2 Sep 2025. The Circle Line also experienced service interruption between Marina Bay and Promenade stations on 1 Sep 2025.
Early this month, it was reported that the MRT reliability fell to its lowest since 2020. Watch this to the end to know more about it:
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