Another signalling fault on DTL causes delays
The Downtown Line (DTL) was hit by a signalling fault yesterday morning, the latest in a spate of major delays on the rail network in a month.
The fault happened at Tampines West station, but commuters along the entire line were affected.
According to Facebook group MRT Disruption Feed, reports of the fault surfaced as early as 7.38am. It was not resolved until nearly 9am, but even then, trains were moving slower.
Operator SBS Transit did not send out any alert about the glitch, even though complaints spread online.
At about 12.40pm, SBS Transit said in a statement that trains had to be driven manually due to the fault, resulting in lower speeds, which led to more crowded trains and a build-up of passengers at stations.
It said "normal service progressively resumed" after 8.15am.
Marketing manager Yvelyn Tan, 31, was 20 minutes late for work. She was on a train going from Tampines East to MacPherson when it stopped suddenly.
"I ended up stepping on a woman's feet and almost fell," she said. "I kept checking SBS Transit's Facebook page to find out the extent of the train fault.
"But there was no announcement. Would I need to obtain a document from SBS to validate this fault so that I can let my boss know there was a train fault?"
SBS Transit later said: "We apologise that no alerts were issued, and we are sorry for the inconvenience that was caused. We are investigating the cause of the fault."
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
