Thomson-East Coast Line delay on Sunday, train services resumed but travelling slower between Caldecott & Orchard

Update: As of 11:10am, SMRT's Facebook page stated that train services on the Thomson-East Coast Line have resumed and are operating normally, except between Caldecott (TE09) and Orchard (TE14).

Trains are being manually driven in both directions along the affected stretch until the end of service, with free bus services available as an alternative.

A major delay that affected the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) on Sunday, May 3, 2026, saw train services initially halted on the entire line between Woodlands North and Bayshore stations.

SMRT announced that a minor delay had occurred between Stevens and Caldecott stations in both directions at 6:55am.

At 8:14am, the incident was upgraded to a major delay as there were no train services between Woodlands North and Bayshore stations in both directions.

SMRT has since provided an update at 8:48am of trains progressively resuming from Woodlands North to Caldecott stations and Orchard to Bayshore stations.

However, there were no train services between Caldecott and Orchard stations in both directions, it said in the same announcement.

Checks by Mothership on the MyTransport.SG app also showed an announcement confirming the disruption.

Signalling fault

In a 9:13am update, Lam Sheau Kai, president of SMRT Trains said a signalling fault occurred on the TEL at about 6:55am on May 3.

This followed signalling tests carried out by the original equipment manufacturer, Alstom, the night before, he said.

"While we reset the system, some trains were held at affected platforms," he added.

"As a result, there were no train services between Caldecott and Orchard stations."

Commuter feedback

Commuters took to SMRT's Facebook page to raise issues regarding train services.

One commuter said it was taking 36 minutes to travel from Mayflower to Upper Thomson.

Checks by Mothership on Google Maps showed that the travel time should be around 10 minutes.

Alternative lines, free bus services

SMRT responded and apologised to the comment and said its engineers were "resolving the fault as soon as possible".

SMRT also advised commuters to take alternative lines or free regular bus and/ or bridging bus services available at the stations.

In a 9:53am update, SMRT said: "For your convenience, you may download an e-Travel Chit as proof of your travel at https://smrttravelchit.sg/ if your journey has been affected."

Lam said: "Our engineers are working with Alstom engineers to restore service as quickly as possible."

"Free bridging bus services and free regular bus services between Woodlands North and Marina Bay stations were available at designated bus stops along the affected stretch," he said.

He added that commuters travelling towards the city are advised to use the North-South Line, Downtown Line, or Circle Line.

"We apologise for the disruption to your morning commute."