Circle Line disrupted for 30 mins during morning rush hour due to signalling system fault

Commuters taking train services between Paya Lebar and Marymount stations may have experienced train delays in the morning of Feb. 11 due to a disruption caused by a signalling fault.

The disruption happened between 8am to 9am, with approximately eight stations affected.

Huge crowds at Bishan MRT

A user on TikTok posted a video of the crowd at Bishan MRT Circle Line platform around 8:20am.

@jackdejack123 Circle line train fault Date 11-Feb-25 Time 8.20 am #sgnews #smrt #trainfault #sgtraffic #sgtrain ♬ Oh No - Kreepa

The video showed a crowd of passengers as they slowly made their way down the platform, with even more people coming down from the escalators.

Fault affected train operations across eight stations

SMRT released a Facebook update on the situation around 10:20am, stating that a signalling system fault occurred between Paya Lebar and Marymount stations at around 8:11am on Feb. 11.

The fault affected train operations across eight stations, causing trains to stop and power to the affected sector was tripped.

Power was restored within five minutes, and train movement resumed at 8:20 am.

"However, the Central Automatic Train Supervision System was sluggish, affecting the ability of controllers to manage train movements efficiently. As a result, it took approximately 30 minutes for the entire Circle Line to return to normal service," SMRT said.

The public transport operator said that key interchange stations such as Serangoon, Buona Vista, Botanic Gardens, and Bishan typically require one to two trains to clear crowds during the morning peak.

"Due to this delay, it took about three trains to ease congestion," SMRT said.

Station staff were deployed in response to assist commuters, and public announcements were made at affected stations.

SMRT also added Alstom, a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer, has developed a software patch to address this issue and is scheduled for installation this Saturday.

The two companies had previously announced in 2022 they'll be working together to explore the use of technology in rail operations and maintenance.

Previous disruptions

Just a day prior, the North-East Line was disrupted for two hours in the morning due to a signalling fault.

Commuters were advised to expect up to 30 minutes of additional travel time at the height of the disruption and to take alternate MRT lines.

Free regular bus rides were also made available at some affected stations.

Other disruptions have included North-South and East-West Lines delays on Feb. 7 due to a faulty engineering vehicle, a North-South Line disruption due to a lightning strike that caused traction power to trip on Jun. 3, 2024, and a Circle Line disruption on Sep. 17. 2024, due to a power fault.

Top image via @jackdejack123/TikTok