Downtown Line 3 hit by delays on opening day

SINGAPORE — A defective train and the pressing of an emergency communication button by a passenger caused delays on the first day of official operations on the newly opened Downtown Line 3 (DTL3).

The two separate incidents in the Tampines area, which took place around 2pm on Saturday (Oct 21), caused delays of between 5 to 15 minutes, said SBS Transit, the operator for the Downtown Line.

The first incident involved a defective train at the Tampines West Station, which had to be withdrawn from service. This caused a delay of about 5 minutes, according to an SBS Transit spokesperson.

The second incident on a separate train involved a passenger activating the emergency communication button as it was approaching the Tampines East Station. This caused a further delay of 15 minutes.

"We are investigating the cause of the fault," the spokesperson added.

The DTL3, the newest and longest stretch of the Downtown Line, was similarly hit by delays during its open house on Oct 15. SBS Transit blamed last Sunday's delays on a defective train at the Hillview station.

The latest delays were first reported by members of TATA SMRT, a Facebook group tracking delays on the rail network, at around 2pm on Saturday - some four hours before SBS Transit's official acknowledgement of the delays.

Prior to the disruptions, commuters told TODAY they were looking forward to travelling on the new line, which is aimed at improving the commute for many residents in the east.

Over the past three years, Tampines West resident Shirley Yong has had to put up with road diversions, long trips to work, as well as noise and dust from the construction of the DTL3.

Those inconveniences and irritations were quickly forgotten when she took the DTL3 for the first time on Saturday to run some errands in Chinatown. 

“It’s definitely more convenient," said the marketing manager, whose daily commute of more than an hour from home to Newton would be cut by more than half with the DTL going into full operation. In the past, she had to take a bus, and switch from the East-West Line to the North-South Line in order to get to work.

Tampines East resident Fattah Shaqur, 25, used to take a similarly circuitous route to work at Marina Bay Financial Centre. But the new DTL3 would take him directly to work via the Downtown station, which is right below his office. 

Fellow Tampines East resident Atiqah Nasir, 24, summed up the mood for many residents living in eastern Singapore when she said: "I am really loving this line."

DTL3, which runs from Fort Canning to Expo, is the longest stretch of the Downtown Line to be opened, and includes three interchange stations at MacPherson, Tampines, and Expo.

The first phase of the line opened in December 2013 with six stations from Chinatown to Bugis. The Downtown Line 2, with 12 stations from Bukit Panjang to Rochor, opened in December 2015. 

The Downtown Line 3 Extension, from Expo to Sungei Bedok (spanning 2.2km) will open in 2024. With the DTL3 in operation, the Downtown Line will be Singapore’s longest underground driverless MRT line. 

Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said in a speech on Friday that the DTL3 will be a “game-changer” for residents in the East, just as its second phase was for residents in the West.