SMRT Task Force 50

Task Force 50 (TF50) refers to a team of standby buses and Bus Captains who operate Rail Bridging Bus services in the event of a train service disruption.

Initiated by the Land Transport Authority in January 2018, the first team of 50 bus drivers was gathered from Private Bus Operators Woodlands Transport Service Pte. Ltd. and Aedge Holdings Pte. Ltd. under a contractual agreement. Operating in two shifts, SMRT maintains a constant standby force of around 25 bus drivers at any time during rail operating hours.

It is understood that there were plans by SMRT Buses to double the Task Force driver pool in mid-2018 to enable a standby force of 50 bus drivers at any time during rail operating hours, by supplementing the Task Force with its own bus drivers. These bus drivers form an immediate response force in the event that free shuttle bus services are required during a train disruption. However, this did not take place.

On 2 April 2019, the Land Transport Authority awarded a Limited Tender (PT361 – Provision of Contingency Buses) to SMRT Buses Ltd for $40,862,335.00. It is believed that this is for the continuation of the provision of TF50 Services by SMRT Buses to LTA for a couple more years to come.

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Training & Activation

TF50 Bus Captains were familiarized with operating various common models of buses in SMRT’s bus fleet, such as the Mercedes-Benz Citaro. This, combined with training on the use of the New On-Board Bus Equipment (NOBE) as well as the Common Fleet Management System (CFMS), allowed Bus Captains from Private Bus Operators to attain the Omnibus Driver’s Vocational Licence (ODVL) from the Singapore Bus Academy, a prerequisite to operating any Public Bus.

Drivers were also trained on the full bridging bus routes for various rail lines in preparation for any possible activation:

Line	Rail Bridging Service
North South Line (NSL)	NSL Bridging Service
East West Line (EWL)	EWL Bridging Service
North East Line (NEL)	NEL Bridging Service
Circle Line (CCL)	CCL Bridging Service
Bukit Panjang LRT (BPLRT)	BPLRT Bridging Service
Sengkang LRT (SKLRT)	SKLRT Bridging Service
Punggol LRT (PGLRT)	PGLRT Bridging Service

A dedicated fleet of TF50 buses is reserved for potential activation during a rail delay or disruption. During activation, TF50 drivers would be assigned to these buses and deployed on Free Bridging Bus Services, in addition to other regular buses pulled from revenue service.

Apart from ad-hoc disruptions, TF50 resources also assist with Early Closure & Late Opening (ECLO) shuttle bus services.

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MRT Shuttle during Early Closure & Late Opening (ECLO)

TF50 resources were used to operate Early Closure & Late Opening (ECLO) shuttle bus services since 2018, augmenting resources contributed by other public transport operators.

Month(s)	Shuttle	Event	Joint Operator(s)
March – April 2018	Shuttle 3	East West Line Early Closure & Late Opening	–
March 2018	Express 15	East West Line Weekday Extended Early Closure	–
April – June 2018	LRT A & LRT B	Bukit Panjang LRT Sunday Closures	–
November 2018	Shuttle 3	East West Line Early Closure	–
November – December 2018	Express 17	East West Line & North South Line Early Closure	–
January – March 2019	Shuttle 21	North East Line Early Closure	SBS Transit
May 2019	Express 17	North South Line 3-Day Closure for Canberra Track Works	–
July 2019	Shuttle 21	North East Line Early Closure	SBS Transit
August – September 2019	Shuttle 4	North South Line Late Opening	SBS Transit & SMRT Buses
September 2019	Shuttle 4	North South Line Early Closure	SMRT Buses
October – November 2019	Shuttle 1	East West Line Early Closure	SMRT Buses
December 2019	Shuttle 7	East West Line Early Closure	Go-Ahead Singapore
January 2020	Shuttle 9	North South Line Early Closure	SBS Transit & SMRT Buses
February – March 2020	Shuttle 10	North South Line Early Closure	SBS Transit & SMRT Buses
April 2020	Shuttle 7	East West Line Early Closure	Go-Ahead Singapore & SMRT Buses

Gallery (Early Closure / Late Opening Shuttles)

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Free Bridging Bus Services during Train Service Disruption

TF50 resources were activated during several instances of delays or disruption to train service since 2018.

Date	Affected Line	Train Service	Reason	Sectors Operated
19 Sep 2018	East West Line	Delay	Track Point Fault near Clementi	Queenstown ↔ Boon Lay
11 Nov 2018	Circle Line	Disruption	Signal Fault	Dhoby Ghaut ↔ Paya Lebar Marina Bay ↔ Paya Lebar
14 Nov 2018	North South Line	Delay	Signalling Fault	Woodlands ↔ Yishun
9 Dec 2018	Bukit Panjang LRT	Disruption	Power Fault	Choa Chu Kang ↺ Bukit Panjang via Senja Choa Chu Kang ↺ Bukit Panjang via Petir
12 Dec 2018	East West Line	Disruption	Track Side Accident involving a SMRT staff during maintenance hours near Joo Koon	Gul Circle ↔ Boon Lay
15 Mar 2019	East West Line	Disruption	Track Fault near Clementi	Jurong East ↔ Queenstown
15 Mar 2019	Circle Line	Disruption	Signal Fault	Dhoby Ghaut ↔ Paya Lebar Marina Bay ↔ Paya Lebar
24 Mar 2019	Bukit Panjang LRT	Disruption	Power Fault	Choa Chu Kang ↺ Bukit Panjang via Senja Choa Chu Kang ↺ Bukit Panjang via Petir
2 Apr 2019	Bukit Panjang LRT	Disruption	Train Fault	Choa Chu Kang ↺ Bukit Panjang via Senja Choa Chu Kang ↺ Bukit Panjang via Petir
26 May 2019	North South Line	Disruption	Power Fault	Newton ↔ Marina South Pier
22 Jun 2019	Bukit Panjang LRT	Partial Disruption	Train Fault (Service B affected)	Choa Chu Kang ↺ Bukit Panjang via Petir
6 Jul 2019	Bukit Panjang LRT	Disruption	Power Fault affecting the Signalling System	Choa Chu Kang ↺ Bukit Panjang via Senja Choa Chu Kang ↺ Bukit Panjang via Petir
30 Nov 2019	East West Line	Delay	Track Point Fault	Tuas Link ↔ Joo Koon
16 Dec 2019	North South Line	Disruption	Signalling Fault	Jurong East ↔ Kranji

Gallery (Bridging Buses)

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TF50 Buses

The dedicated fleet of TF50 buses comprises Mercedes-Benz Citaro and MAN A22 single deck buses, as well as Volvo B9TL and MAN A95 double-deck buses. These buses are leased to SMRT Buses as part of TF50 operations and bear a piece of paper bearing “TF ##” on the front windscreen (where ## are numbers between 01 and 50). As of October 2018, the “TF” on the front paper was dropped, leaving with only 2 digit numbers.

These buses are mainly based at Seletar Bus Depot, with smaller numbers of buses parked at Bukit Panjang Temporary Bus Park, Woodlands Bus Park, Ulu Pandan Bus Depot and Lorong 1 Geylang Terminal. Refuelling and other administrative matters under the purview of SMRT Ang Mo Kio Bus Depot.

List of TF50 Buses

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End of Service

In July 2020, operations were believed to have ceased, with standby buses parked at various sites such as Bukit Panjang Temporary Bus Park and Lorong 1 Geylang Terminal no longer seen.

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External Links & References:

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