Power fault halts LRT services at Sengkang, Punggol

SINGAPORE — A power fault caused services on both the Sengkang and Punggol LRT lines to be suspended for two hours on Wednesday evening (June 1).

SBS Transit first tweeted about the incident at 7.12pm. Free bus rides and bridging buses were available at designated stops, the transport operator said. 

Ms Nina Nurliyana, 32, was in a train that had just left Sengkang LRT station when it suddenly stopped and the lights went out. Although the lights quickly came on again, there was no ventilation. "The train was crowded and it was quite stuffy," said Ms Liyana who was heading back home from work.

Ms Nurliyana said it took 15 to 30 minutes before someone from the station came to open the emergency door of the train. When commuters on her trains finally let out, they walked about 200m back to Sengkang LRT station amidst a light drizzle.

Several members of the public have posted about the breakdown on social media, including Ms Liyana, who posted selfies on her Instagram account.

Ms Liyana said that while they were stuck in the carriage, most people stared at their phones to while away the time. However, she decided to strike up a conversation with the person next to her. "I was initially on the phone too but I decided to talk to the person next to me to try to stay positive," she said.

At 9.30pm, services had resumed, SBS Transit tweeted. "We are sorry for the inconvenience caused," the transport operator added.

According to an initial assessment by SBS Transit, a cable fault is suspected to be the cause of the service disruption. However, the transport operator is still investigating the cause of the fault.