Signalling fault causes delays on Downtown Line in both directions

Commuters travelling on the Downtown Line (DTL) faced delays in their Thursday morning (1^st March) commute due to a signalling fault. Transport operator SBS Transit tweeted at about 7:00am that train service on the MRT line towards Bukit Panjang and Expo stations is delayed.

Commuters were told to add additional travel time of up to 15 minutes to their journey. "Recovery works in progress. We are sorry," SBS Transit said. In a tweet at about 7:40am, it said that free passing bus service is available between Bugis and Chinatown stations in both bounds.

A 50-year old assistant manager, who wanted to be known only as Michael, told The Straits Times that he arrived at Bukit Panjang MRT station at 6:55am and was shocked to see a large crowd at the entrance.

"I live in Bukit Panjang and I was heading to my workplace in Chinatown. But I decided to make a detour and take a bus instead, as I did not want to be late for work," he said, adding that his usual journey on the MRT line would take him about 35 minutes.

Michael, who works in the hospitality sector, added that commuters were still streaming into the station, though two MRT staff were seen near the gantry advising them on alternative routes. He added that it took him about 10 to 20 minutes more to get to work by bus.

When The Straits Times arrived at Kaki Bukit station at about 8:30am, the trains were packed and commuters were unable to board. Ms. Melissa Ngo, a 39-year old accounts manager, said, "I was heading to Bendemeer and I went down to the platform but I didn't think I would be able to get on the train, so I left. Usually, the trains here are very fast, I think this is the first time I've encountered something like this."

Several commuters reported their delays on social media. Said Twitter user Nur, "Technical fault of DTL between Bayfront & Promenade, but already Bukit Panjang trains are not moving." Another user, NKzrh, said, "Train fault again at Bayfront downtown line.. as of 6:57am I'm now at Bukit Panjang station."

The train delays on Thursday morning were compounded when ride-hailing app Grab suffered a brief outage, with many users reporting that they were unable to book a ride.

The 42km DTL was launched in three stages, starting December 2013 with six stations - Chinatown, Telok Ayer, Downtown, Bayfront, Promenade and Bugis.

The 12-station, 16.6km DTL 2 was opened in December 2015, from Bukit Panjang, passing through the Bukit Timah corridor towards Rochor, before connecting to Bugis station.

In October last year (2017), the DTL3, stretching 16 stations from Fort Canning to Expo, was opened. Last month, the Land Transport Authority said that trips on the DTL have increased by more than 50 percent since the opening of the DTL3. More than half a million rides daily are expected on the MRT line by the end of this year, it added. The Straits Times has contacted SBS Transit for more information.