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Expect peak-hour delays on NSL travel, towards Marina South Pier, till March: SMRT

SINGAPORE — Commuters travelling on the North-South Line (NSL) towards Marina South Pier MRT will have to cater up to 15 minutes of additional travel time during peak hours in the coming weeks, with rail operator SMRT racing to complete track improvement works near Raffles Place station.

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TODAY file photo

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SINGAPORE — Commuters travelling on the North-South Line (NSL) towards Marina South Pier MRT will have to cater up to 15 minutes of additional travel time during peak hours in the coming weeks, with rail operator SMRT racing to complete track improvement works near Raffles Place station.

Ms Margaret Teo, SMRT Vice President for Corporate Communications, said in a media release on Monday (Feb 19) that track improvement works are expected to be completed by March, though no specific date was given.

Maintenance work has been ongoing since January during engineering hours in the NSL southbound tunnel near Raffles Place MRT Station, she added.

Explaining why some commuters travelling on the NSL towards Marina South Pier would have experienced “slower moving trains” over a 300-metre stretch between City Hall and Raffles Place MRT stations, Ms Teo said the maintenance work involves replacing parts of the existing concrete track bed that supports the running rails.

“On nights when fresh concrete is cast on the track bed, the concrete requires several hours to cure and reach full strength,” she said.

Ms Teo added that “temporary speed restrictions have been imposed on the affected tracks” to facilitate the curing process.

“During peak hours when trains are running at two-minute intervals, this can cause congestion in the NSL tunnel as trains heading towards the city need to maintain a safe distance from one another,” she said.

“As such, some commuters may experience trains stopping between stations, or longer waiting times at station platforms.”

Ms Teo, however, reassured commuters the speed restrictions will be progressively lifted “in the coming days”.

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