⚠️ North East Line Power Fault (Punggol – Hougang)

A power fault disrupted the North East for 6.5 hours in the morning of 27th February.

Timeline

• 5:55am: SBS Transit reports Power Fault at Sengkang Station. Train service between Punggol and Buangkok reduced to a shuttle train on Platform A.
• 6:30am: Free bridging bus services and regular bus services provided at affected stations.
• 10:40am: To facilitate repair works, trains service between Punggol and Hougang was suspended, while a single shuttle train operated between Hougang and Serangoon. Regular train services operated at 9 min frequency.
• 12:27pm: Train service resumed.

Last updated at 12:30pm

SBS Transit Media Statement

North East Line (NEL) services affected by power fault
This morning, train services from NE17 Punggol to NE15 Buangkok stations in the direction towards HarbourFront were disrupted by a power fault. Train services between NE1 HarbourFront and NE14 Hougang stations were not affected.

A shuttle train service was put into operation from the start of passenger service at 5.36am and operated on one platform between NE17 Punggol and NE15 Buangkok stations. To supplement the shuttle train service, free regular and bridging bus services were available at designated bus stops along the affected stations to maintain connectivity.

Initial investigations into the incident revealed the cause to be a broken contact wire of the Overhead Catenary System (OCS) at the train launching track of Sengkang depot. The OCS supplies power to the trains. Repair works to the OCS were carried out after the morning peak hours. To facilitate this, power supply to the tracks was shut off between NE14 Hougang and NE17 Punggol stations, and free regular and bridging bus services were available between these stations.

The repair works were completed by 11.49am and a safety sweep of the affected sector was carried out by a non-passenger train. Normal service along the entire NEL resumed at 12.14pm.

Throughout this time, regular train services operated between NE1 HarbourFront and NE12 Serangoon stations at a frequency of about 9 minutes, while shuttle trains ran between NE12 Serangoon and NE14 Hougang stations.

We apologise to affected commuters for the inconvenience caused. Meanwhile, we are jointly investigating the incident with the Land Transport Authority.