SMRT to be fined S$3 million for 6-day EWL train disruption in Sep. 2024: LTA

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has concluded its investigations into the train disruption on the East-West line in late September 2024, and intends to impose a S$3 million penalty on SMRT.

Train services were halted between Jurong East and Buona Vista stations for six days from Sep. 25 to 30, 2024, making it one of the worst disruptions to the MRT system to date.

It affected about 2.6 million passengers – around half a million per day. They included students who were sitting for PSLE examinations at the time.

LTA announced on Oct. 2 that it had begun a thorough probe into the root cause and handling of the disruption.

Then-Minister for Transport Chee Hong Tat said on Oct. 15 that LTA would impose penalties if the investigation revealed any lapses.

Determining the penalty

In a statement released on Jun. 3, LTA announced the fine on SMRT and explained the factors they considered when determining the amount.

They took into account that SMRT had borne the cost of the disruption – a total of more than S$10 million. It includes the cost of the extensive repairs to the tracks and equipment, and providing free bridging buses and regular bus services between affected stations.

LTA also noted in their statement that SMRT managed the service disruption in a satisfactory manner.

They said that SMRT activated the free bus services promptly, and acted quickly to limit the affected area to between Jurong East and Buona Vista stations once they assessed that it was safe to do so.

The penalty will go to the Public Transport Fund to help lower-income families with public transport fares.

In their statement on the issue, SMRT said they remain "firmly committed to upholding the highest standards of safety and operations across our network."

Here is what caused the disruption

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