Rail Safety and Reliability are Key Priorities
LTA takes a serious view of the recent incidents on the North-South Line, North East Line and Circle Line, and is working closely with SMRT and SBS Transit to identify the root causes and improve our incident response.
The three incidents are unrelated. Our preliminary investigation findings are as follows:
North-South Line (NSL)
On 7 Feb at about 5.15am, an engineering vehicle broke down at a railway crossing in Bishan Depot after completing routine maintenance works. This prevented trains from being launched from Bishan Depot into passenger service. When SMRT tried to move the stalled vehicle using a rescue train, some of the wheels of the engineering vehicle came off the rails. As SMRT explained in their statement, this is completely different from the East-West Line (EWL) incident in Sep 2024 where an empty train derailed while it was returning to the depot.
Trains from Bishan Depot primarily serve NSL. To ensure that the NSL could commence operations, SMRT redirected some trains from the EWL to the NSL. This allowed train services to operate throughout the day on both lines, with a longer interval between trains during peak hours. To augment train capacity during the morning peak, SMRT provided free regular and bridging bus services along the stretch between Woodlands and Bishan. The stalled engineering vehicle was cleared by 5.30pm, allowing SMRT to launch trains from Bishan Depot and progressively restore normal service for the evening peak.
LTA and SMRT are conducting a thorough investigation into the root cause of this incident.
North East Line (NEL)
On 10 Feb at 6.08am, a signalling fault near Buangkok station caused trains to travel slower on the NEL. During the incident, SBS Transit provided free regular and bridging bus services between Punggol Coast and Dhoby Ghaut. Normal train services resumed progressively from 8.00am.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the incident was due to a fault in the signalling equipment, caused by a malfunctioning electronic card. SBS Transit replaced the malfunctioning electronic card on the same morning and restored the system’s operations. The malfunctioning component has been sent to Alstom, the system manufacturer, for further examination.
Circle Line (CCL)
On 11 Feb at 8.15am, a signalling fault occurred between Paya Lebar and Marymount stations on CCL. This caused a power trip which affected 17 trains. Power was subsequently restored and train movement progressively resumed at 8.20am.
When restoring operations, SMRT observed that the Central Automatic Train Supervision (CATS) System, which regulates the movement of driverless trains, was less responsive than usual. This caused a delay to the resumption of normal operations.
We last experienced this issue on the CATS system in September 2024. LTA and SMRT have been working with Alstom, who is the system manufacturer, over the past few months to develop a software patch. The patch is scheduled to be deployed this weekend, following the completion of rigorous testing.
