MRT BREAKDOWN AFFECTED STUDENTS TAKING NATIONAL EXAMS AGAIN

For more than 2 hours this morning, SMRT trains along the North-South line broke down due to a power fault, causing chaos and confusion among rush-hour commuters and school-going children once again.

Unfortunately, tertiary level students who were supposed to sit for their English Language A Level papers found themselves rushing to find other means of transport to their destinations.

Incidentally, the last MRT breakdown on 26th October also affected students who were going for their O and A Level exams.

SMRT said in a Twitter post at 5.54AM that train service was not available between Yishun and Marina South Pier in both directions. About 20 minutes later, it posted an update saying that train service was not available between Yishun and Bishan. Free bus services were put into action between Yishun and Marina South Pier.

Then at 6.57AM today, SMRT posted another tweet advising passengers travelling towards Orchard and Marina South Pier from Yishun and Woodlands to travel via Jurong East Station or other lines.

Services were resumed soon after at about 8AM.

In a statement to the media, Land Transport Authority (LTA) Chief Executive Chew Men Leong said today's breakdown was a only a “localised” one.

“We worked very closely with SMRT to activate free bus boarding and also called in additional resources from SBS Transit to beef up support. Now what we’re trying to do is establish the root cause," he added.

LTA said the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board was informed of the train disruption.