NEL service delayed during evening peak due to signalling fault: 'So exhausted to wait so long'

Train service on the North-East Line (NEL) was delayed up to 20 minutes due to a signalling fault on Tuesday evening (Nov 15).

The fault was between Potong Pasir and Boon Keng stations towards HarbourFront.

Stomper Princess shared a photo of the crowd on the platform of Little India station at 6.50pm.

She told Stomp: "I was buying things and was heading home to see my kids. 

"I was feeling so exhausted and had to wait for so long. Usually, to go to the next station, it would take a minute."

The Stomper said she waited 10 minutes for the train.

SBS Transit first tweeted about a 10-minute delay at 6.37pm.

At 1835hrs, NEL service towards HarbourFront NE1 is delayed due to a signalling fault between Potong Pasir South to Boon Keng South. Additional travel time of about 10 minutes may be expected. We are sorry for the inconvenience caused.

— SBS Transit (@SBSTransit_Ltd) November 15, 2022

At 6.47pm, it became 15 minutes.

At 1845hrs, NEL service towards HarbourFront NE1 is delayed due to a signalling fault from Potong Pasir South to Boon Keng South. Additional travel time of about 15 minutes may be expected now. We are sorry for the inconvenience caused.

— SBS Transit (@SBSTransit_Ltd) November 15, 2022

By 6.53pm, it was a 20-minute delay.

NEL service from NE9 Boon Keng Station to NE10 Potong Pasir Station (towards HarbourFront) is delayed due to a signalling fault. Please expect an additional travel time of about 20 mins. We are sorry for the inconvenience caused.

— SBS Transit (@SBSTransit_Ltd) November 15, 2022

Free regular bus services were available at designated stops between Farrer Park and HarbourFront stations.

Train service resumed at 8.52pm.

In response to a Stomp query, Mrs Grace Wu, Vice President (Special Grade), Customer Experience and Communications said: "Train services on the North-East Line were operating at longer frequencies last evening for about 2.5 hours due to a signalling fault on the tracks at NE10 Potong Pasir Station.

"As a result, trains had to be manually driven at a much slower speed as they travelled from NE10 Potong Pasir to NE9 Boon Keng Station. This initially added an extra 10 minutes to travel time, but it later increased to 20 minutes due to the slow travelling speed at the affected sector.

'To enable commuters to continue on their journeys, free bus rides at designated bus stops near the affected stations were available. At MRT interchange stations, commuters were advised to take alternative lines to get to their destinations.

"Train services resumed their normal schedules at 8.52pm last evening as engineers carried out interim repairs to a damaged signalling cable. Full repair works were carried out during engineering hours early this morning."

@thealandopez NEL Train delay. #foryourpage #fyp #tiktoksg #tiktoksingapore #singapore ♬ Oh No (Instrumental) - Kreepa