5 days ago
Jurong East track fault pushes East-West Line commuters to waits of 30–40 minutes, riders report
A point-machine malfunction near Jurong East station disrupted Singapore's East-West Line from the start of service on Wednesday, 6 August 2025, triggering delays that SMRT initially placed at 15 minutes, then revised to 25 minutes.
However, commuters described real-world waits of 30–40 minutes on the 57 km corridor.
SMRT's first Facebook alert at 6.03 am covered Boon Lay–Clementi; by 7.17 am the operator expanded the stretch to Buona Vista and doubled the buffer.
Free regular and bridging buses were announced, and passengers were told to download e-Travel Chits as proof of delay.
At 9:11 am, SMRT posted an update on its social media channels, stating that engineers were working to restore normal service. Commuters were advised to download an e-Travel Chit as proof of their disrupted journey.
In a follow-up update at 9:25 am, SMRT informed the public that longer travel times were still expected along the East-West Line towards Pasir Ris.
Videos shared by commuters showed crowds forming at Lakeside station, with trains seen halting on the tracks as observed from the platform.
In practice, many riders encountered longer stand-stills.
One passenger posted a minute-by-minute log: '0540 reached Pioneer; 0548 boarded; 0603 still at Lakeside; 0610 reached Jurong East—22 minutes for a trip that's usually 10.'
He switched to the North-South Line after '30 minutes gone and the train not moving.'
Another commenter noted being charged a fare despite entering and exiting the same station after realising the delay: 'If the info was shared clearly before entry, we could've made better decisions.'
A lengthier open letter accused SMRT of 'a clear failure of operational management,' describing an unmanned, chaotic queue for shuttle buses outside Chinese Garden between 7.25 am and 7.40 am: 'No SMRT or LTA staff present to provide direction… directing passengers to a contingency plan that was completely unmanaged made a bad situation worse.'
SMRT Trains President Lam Sheau Kai, of Singapore, said trains were forced to drive slowly over the faulty point machine 'for safe operations' while engineers worked on site. He apologised for commuters' disrupted morning and pledged to restore full speeds quickly.
A point machine shifts moveable rails so trains can cross from one track to another.
Any fault obliges operators to lock the junction and impose speed restrictions until alignment is verified.
Although service continued on other parts of the East-West Line, crowd photographs from Jurong East showed packed platforms and concourses.
Several riders said announcements on trains and at stations lagged behind actual conditions, with one remarking, 'Such delayed announcements when the fault was already there since 5am+… utterly frustrating.'
By 9.00 am SMRT still advised a 25-minute buffer, but commenters timed intervals closer to 35 minutes.
The Land Transport Authority had issued no statement by press time.
Under the New Rail Financing Framework, enforcement decisions are taken only after operators submit incident reports.
Point-machine issues have dogged this stretch before. On 4 Jul 2024 a similar fault at Jurong East caused a three-hour morning delay.
More severe track damage between Jurong East and Buona Vista from 25–30 Sep 2024 resulted in a six-day closure and a subsequent S$3 million fine on SMRT.
SMRT replaced 46 units after the 2024 incidents and has trialled predictive sensors, but Wednesday's fault suggests vulnerabilities remain.
SMRT said free bridging buses would keep running until full speeds resume and urged riders to check the SMRT Connect app for live updates. No injuries were reported.
