Suspected Signal Testing Causes Severe Breakdown; Train Service Suspended at 27 Stations in Singapore

(Singapore, 3rd May) Severe disruption occurred on the Thomson–East Coast MRT Line on Sunday morning (May 3), resulting in suspension of train services across all 27 stations from Woodlands North to Bayfront. According to preliminary investigations, the breakdown is believed to have been caused by signal testing conducted by the original equipment manufacturer.

At 7:47 am, SMRT posted an update stating that a major fault had occurred on the Thomson–East Coast Line. Passengers could use other MRT lines or take the free shuttle bus service provided between Caldecott Station and Marina Bay Station.

In the latest update at 8:14 am, the Land Transport Authority’s MyTransport website indicated that the delay had expanded to cover both directions of the entire Thomson–East Coast Line (TEL) between Woodlands North and Bayfront. The website also noted that free shuttle bus services were being provided between Caldecott Station and Marina Bay Station.

Some netizens complained of train delays exceeding 30 minutes, while some passengers said they waited an hour at Caldecott Station.

Regarding Sunday morning’s train incident, SMRT posted on its official website at 9:13 am on May 3, stating that a signal fault had occurred on the Thomson–East Coast Line at about 6:55 am. On the previous night, SMRT’s original equipment manufacturer, Alstom, had conducted signal testing.

During the system reset period, train service was suspended at some affected stations, resulting in no train service between Caldecott Station and Orchard Station. Engineers are working together with Alstom’s engineers to restore operations as soon as possible.

SMRT Trains President Lam Sheau Kai expressed apologies for the inconvenience caused to the public due to this disruption.