The Land Transport Authority (LTA) of Singapore, together with rail operators SMRT and SBS Transit, has set up a new task force to address rising concerns over rail reliability following 15 MRT and LRT disruptions in the past three months. It will submit its final recommendations by end-2025.
The review will cover maintenance processes, staff training, rail asset conditions, and decision-making during disruptions. Areas under consideration include expediting the North East Line power system renewal, strengthening signalling systems for the Circle Line and NEL, and reducing instances of detrainment, where passengers alight between stations, which lengthens recovery times.
Recent incidents ranged from power faults and signalling failures to train component breakdowns, with disruptions occurring on almost every MRT and LRT line. Despite these setbacks, overall rail reliability remains above the government’s benchmark of one million train-km between major delays, though it has declined from previous years. The National Transport Workers’ Union (NTWU) has welcomed the task force, stressing the need for resources and training to support transport workers in improving service reliability.