The Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) Rail Bridging Service (or TEL Free Shuttle Bus Service / TEL Bridging Bus) is an emergency bus service which is provided in the event of a Train Service Disruption involving the Thomson-East Coast Line, which is operated by SMRT Trains.

When a section of the Thomson-East Coast Line is suspended, this service may be activated to ferry affected commuters between affected stations, hence minimizing the impact of rail disruptions on commuters. This service may also be activated should there be a significant addition of expected travelling time along the TEL.

Activation:

When the TEL free bridging bus service is activated along a specific stretch of the TEL, information will be disseminated through SMRT and the Land Transport Authority (LTA)’s media platforms. The service will only stop at specific bus boarding points (either at bus stops or bus interchanges) which are marked out in the ticket concourse of every station.

This service is offered for free, in addition to free bus boarding of regular bus services during a disruption.

Route Map:

TEL

Woodlands North
→ Gardens by the Bay ⇋

Gardens by the Bay
→ Woodlands North ⇋

47201 Woodlands North Stn TE1 Woodlands North Coast Rd

46631 Woodlands Stn Exit 5 NS9TE2 Woodlands Ave 2

46981 W'lands Sth Stn Exit 2 TE3 Woodlands Ave 1

56099 Springleaf Stn Exit 2 TE4 Upp Thomson Rd

55011 Bef Lentor Stn Exit 5 TE5 Yio Chu Kang Rd

54199 Bef Mayflower Stn Exit 3 TE6 Ang Mo Kio Ave 4

53341 Bright Hill Stn Exit 2 TE7 Sin Ming Ave

53059 Upp Thomson Stn Exit 2 TE8 Upp Thomson Rd

52211 Lighthouse Sch CC17TE9 Toa Payoh Rise

40239 Bef Stevens Stn Exit 4 DT10TE11 Whitley Rd

13019 Napier Stn Exit 1 TE12 Napier Rd

09139 Orchard Blvd Stn Exit 1 TE13 Grange Rd

13199 Aft Orchard Stn Exit 12 NS22TE14 Paterson Rd

13119 Opp Great World City TE15 Kim Seng Rd

06129 Grand Copthorne Hotel TE16 Kim Seng Rd

05012 Bef Pearl's Hill Terr EW16NE3TE17 Eu Tong Sen St

05269 Maxwell Stn Exit 2 TE18 Sth Bridge Rd

03111 Aft Capital Twr Robinson Rd

03391 Marina Bay Financial Ctr NS27TE20CE2 Marina Blvd

03369 Gardens by the Bay Stn Exit 1 TE22 Marina Gdns Dr

03361 Gardens by the Bay Stn Exit 2 TE22 Marina Gdns Dr

03539 Marina Bay Stn NS27TE20CE2 Central Blvd

03129 UIC Bldg TE19 Shenton Way

05241 Opp Blk 333 TE18 Kreta Ayer Rd

05019 Aft Duxton Plain Pk EW16NE3TE17 New Bridge Rd

06081 Havelock Stn Exit 3 TE16 Zion Rd

06131 Aft Blk 87 TE15 Zion Rd

13191 Opp Orchard Stn Exit 12 NS22TE14 Paterson Rd

09131 Opp Orchard Blvd Stn TE13 Grange Rd

13011 Napier Stn Exit 2 TE12 Napier Rd

40231 Raffles Town Club DT10TE11 Whitley Rd

52219 Bef Caldecott Stn Exit 3 CC17TE9 Toa Payoh Rise

53051 Upp Thomson Stn Exit 5 TE8 Upp Thomson Rd

53349 Bright Hill Stn Exit 1 TE7 Sin Ming Ave

54191 Mayflower Stn Exit 2 TE6 Ang Mo Kio Ave 4

55019 Aft Lentor Stn Exit 4 TE5 Yio Chu Kang Rd

56091 Springleaf Stn Exit 3 TE4 Upp Thomson Rd

46989 W'lands Sth Stn Exit 1 TE3 Woodlands Ave 1

46639 Woodlands Stn Exit 4 NS9TE2 Woodlands Ave 2

47201 Woodlands North Stn TE1 Woodlands North Coast Rd

Technical Information
Route	Woodlands Nth Coast Rd (Woodlands North MRT) ↔ Marina Gardens Dr (Gardens by the Bay MRT)
Passes Through	Specific Thomson-East Coast Line MRT Stations (Disseminated upon activation)
Fare	Free Travel
Operator Information
Current Operators	SMRT Buses Ltd Tower Transit Singapore Pte Ltd
Current Fleet	Any Public Bus
Departure Times	Activated and withdrawn only when disseminated

Routes are compiled based on observations during a rail disruption.

Operator Information

TE1 Woodlands North – TE9 Caldecott
SMRT Buses Ltd
TE9 Caldecott – TE22 Gardens by the Bay
Tower Transit Singapore Pte Ltd

As SMRT Trains is the rail operator for the Thomson-East Coast Line, buses from SMRT Buses Ltd can also operate on the TEL Bridging Bus service between any stations in addition to its own allocated sector.

MRT Stations Served:

TE1 Woodlands North
TE2NS9 Woodlands
TE3 Woodlands South
TE4 Springleaf
TE5 Lentor
TE6 Mayflower
TE7 Bright Hill
TE8 Upper Thomson
TE9CC17 Caldecott
TE11DT10 Stevens
TE12 Napier
TE13 Orchard Boulevard
TE14NS22 Orchard
TE15 Great World
TE16 Havelock
TE17EW16NE3 Outram Park
TE18 Maxwell
TE19 Shenton Way
TE20NS27CE2 Marina Bay
TE22 Gardens by the Bay

Recent History of Activation

Date	Sector Served	Disruption Reason
4 Dec 2020	Woodlands North ↔ Woodlands South	Signalling Fault
27 Apr 2022	Woodlands North ↔ Caldecott	Track Signal Fault
6 Jul 2022	Woodlands North ↔ Caldecott	Signal Fault
25 Dec 2022	Caldecott ↔ Gardens by the Bay	Train Fault
6 Jan 2023	Woodlands North ↔ Gardens by the Bay	Train Fault
2 Feb 2023	Woodlands North ↔ Orchard	Train Fault
7 Mar 2023	Caldecott ↔ Orchard	Train Fault
12 Aug 2023	Woodlands North ↔ Lentor	Train Fault
6 Nov 2023	Orchard ↔ Gardens by the Bay	Signalling Fault