NTU student, 19, walks 3 hours from Buona Vista to Boon Lay as Grab cost S$50 & train down

The disruption of train services on the East-West Line (EWL) on Sep. 26 led to a 19-year-old taking a three-hour hike in order to reach the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) campus.

The NTU student took to TikTok to share that he had made the gruelling walk from Buona Vista MRT station to Boon Lay MRT station.

Speaking to Mothership, the teenager, Martin, said he had considered hailing a Grab.

But he was turned off by the figure staring back at him.

Not willing to be almost S$50 poorer any time soon, he turned to his trusty two feet.

Journey to the west

The teen said that he had started walking at 7pm.

He followed the usual route taken by EWL trains, passing stations including Chinese Garden, Lakeside, and Dover.

He reached the campus around 10:15pm.

Even youth could not save the 19-year-old from feeling drained from the walk.

He found himself "super exhausted", "delirious and dehydrated".

Bus queue was "like at a concert"

Before embarking on his journey, Martin noted that the shuttle bus situation at Buona Vista MRT station was "chaotic".

"Not even the SMRT workers knew which line led to which bus," he recounted.

Martin waited in line for 30 minutes, just for the line to "disappear and disperse" into a massive crowd.

He said the line was like that at a concert, consisting of at least 700 people.

"I felt quite overwhelmed but also just felt bad for the workers who were under huge pressure and there really wasn't enough of them there to make the work manageable."

Martin added that a lot of the staff were shouting directions, while commuters were "scurrying" at any chance they could to get into a bus. Passengers on board were also "screaming" at others.

Might look for alternatives

While he bested the three-hour trek that day, the youth seemed less keen to make it a regular hike.

He indicated that he would be seeking alternative bus routes on the NTU Reddit page, or resorting to taking taxis to get to his prior commitments in the city.

"Hoping the issue gets resolved soon because for NTU students, the MRT is a lifeline to the rest of the city," he said.

Minister for Transport Chee Hong Tat said on Sep. 26 that as the damage to the EWL's tracks and tack equipment on Sep. 25 were "very extensive", and required more time to finish repairing.

SMRT aims to restore full service on Sep. 30.

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Top images via martinruzi/TikTok