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SINGAPORE: A power failure disrupted train services on parts of the North-South, East-West and Circle lines on Wednesday night (October 14), and some commuters had to walk on tracks to return to the station .
Bus stops are packed with travelers rushing to find other ways to continue their journey.
Transportation operator SMRT first sent out an alert on Twitter at around 7.15pm, urging travelers to add 25 minutes to their travel time between Woodlands and the Jurong East MRT station on the North-South line.
Shortly after, it said that services were interrupted between Queenstown and Tuas Link on the East-West line.
Passengers were also told to avoid Jurong East MRT station.
At approximately 8.15pm, SMRT said there was no train service between Serangoon and HarbourFront on the Circle Line. Since then, services on the line have been “progressively restored,” SMRT said.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the incident was caused by a power outage, the Land Transportation Authority (LTA) said in a Facebook post around 8.45pm.
“Due to the delay, SMRT began safe disembarkation for passengers on NSEWL trains at 7.30pm and at 8pm for CCL trains,” it added.
“LTA is working with SMRT on rectification works and we will carry out a full investigation of the causes.”
People getting on and off free bridge buses at Clementi MRT station after a power failure disrupted train services on several lines on October 14, 2020 (Photo: Ang Hwee Min).
Transport Minister Ong Ye Kung said in a Facebook post at 9.57pm that train service on the Circle Line was restored at 8.40pm.
“The free bus bridge was activated shortly after the outage. The crowds at the bus stops crossing the buses are slowly diminishing,” Ong said.
He added that the remaining passengers aboard the last train on the North-South Line had disembarked at the Bukit Batok MRT station.
Ong said it would provide an update later Wednesday night.
A photo sent by a CNA reader around 7.15pm. M. Was showing crowds at Jurong East Station after services were disrupted.
Jurong East MRT Station after train services were disrupted on October 14, 2020 (Photo: Boony)
CNA reader Yang Long, who was at Yew Tee station along the North-South line, captured photos of the station in the dark around 7.15pm.
Yew Tee MRT station at dusk on Oct 14, 2020 (Photo: Yang Long)
He also took photos of a train that had stopped on the tracks, with the front door open. He estimated that the train had remained in the same position for about 40 minutes.
A train on the tracks with the front door open on October 14, 2020 (Photo: Yang Long)
Staff members were seen manually opening elevator doors at Yew Tee Station, allowing two people to exit.
An elevator door was opened at the Yew Tee MRT station on October 14, 2020 (Photo: Yang Long)
Passenger Julie Chan said the train stopped as it approached Kranji Station on the North-South Line.
“At around 7.05pm, I heard an announcement that the train will stop for 5 minutes. They repeated the announcement every 5 minutes. At the end, the train stopped for 25 minutes and they announced that there was a power outage,” Ms. Chan.
“They decided to let us out and asked if anyone is from a uniformed group to step forward to help. I was one of the first to leave and they opened the front of the train,” she added.
Passengers on a train near Kranji on the North-South Line to Woodlands were evacuated after a power failure disrupted MRT service on several lines on October 14, 2020 (Photo: Julie Chan).
“It was very dark and we had to walk slowly on the tracks because there are so many pebbles. Fortunately, the walk from the train to the station was not that far. Some of the passengers used their mobile phones to light the way.”
SMRT said that free regular bus services and shuttle services are available between affected stations.
At the Buona Vista MRT station, crowds gathered intermittently as bridge buses arriving carrying passengers from nearby stations.
Crowds at the Buona Vista MRT station after a power failure disrupted train services on several lines on October 14, 2020 (Photo: Christy Yip).
SMRT employees had to divert commuters on the Circle and East-West lines to alternative bus routes.
Travelers were heard directing travelers to connect to the Downtown line through King Albert Park, or to the Boon Lay MRT station by bus.
A bridge bus line arrived at the bus stop, packed with passengers.
Crowds enter a bridge bus at the Buona Vista MRT station after a power failure disrupted train services on several lines on October 14, 2020 (Photo: Christy Yip).
Celestine Ng, 39, arrived at Buona Vista MRT around 7:30 pm and was told that train services had stopped. He had been waiting for the buses since 8 pm because he “can’t get in.”
“There are a lot of people on the bus and given the situation now with COVID-19, I don’t dare to board the bus,” he told CNA.
The crowd has been the “same” since 8pm.
Maybe I’ll board when an empty bus arrives. All the buses that come are so full of people and you have to get in. “
Crowds at the Buona Vista MRT station after a power failure disrupted train services on several lines on October 14, 2020 (Photo: Christy Yip).
A line of buses waiting to pick up and drop off travelers at Clementi MRT station in the direction of Tuas Link. (Photo: Ang Hwee Min)
It was a similar situation outside the Clementi MRT station: buses were also full of passengers and a bus line had formed, waiting to pick up and drop off travelers.
Ms. Sophie Teo was on her way home when she had to get off the train in Queenstown, she told CNA as she waited for the bus home in Clementi.
People getting on and off free bridge buses at Clementi MRT station after a power failure disrupted train services on several lines on October 14, 2020 (Photo: Ang Hwee Min).
“I got off at Queenstown and walked to Commonwealth, because it was too crowded, there was no social distancing and it was too much,” Ms. Teo said.
“Not just me, a group of passengers and I walked to Commonwealth. Then I tried to go to the supermarket to wait ”.
SMRT staff lead people away from the porticoes of Clementi MRT station, after a power failure disrupted train services on several lines on October 14, 2020 (Photo: Ang Hwee Min).
This is a story in development, update to receive updates.
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