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SINGAPORE: Train services have resumed on the North East Line between Dhoby Ghaut and HarbourFront stations, after a power supply problem in the tunnel at Outram Park station disrupted services early Thursday.
Full service resumed at 4.35pm, after nearly 12 hours of disruption.
SBS Transit's senior vice president for Corporate Communications, Ms Tammy Tan, said all stations are now fully operational.
She added that the company will continue to monitor the situation closely.
She apologised once again to all affected commuters and thanked them for their patience and understanding.
An estimated 90,000 commuters were affected by the breakdown.
During a regular nightly maintenance scheduled at 5.00am, SBS Transit discovered that one of the connecting cables of the overhead power supply located south of Outram Park station had snapped.
SBS Transit commenced repair work immediately, but as extensive work had to be done, normal service operations at the five stations between Dhoby Ghaut and HarbourFront had to be disrupted.
By around 9am, lines had already formed outside Dhoby Ghaut station as affected commuters switched to free shuttle buses provided.
Signs were put up around the station to guide commuters. Staff and "goodwill ambassadors" were also deployed to guide commuters to the free buses.
It was a similar situation at HarbourFront station.
Most commuters told Channel NewsAsia that they heard about the breakdown from in-station and train announcements or from social media updates.
The North East Line is a 20-kilometre track with 16 stations which are all underground.
The line was opened on 20 June 2003 and is the first fully-automated heavy-rail system.
Unlike other lines which are powered by a third rail, the driver-less trains of the North East Line are powered by overhead catenary, which is a system of overhead cables.
The cables supply electricity to the trains.
The last major breakdown of the North East Line was in July 2006, which lasted some seven hours.
This was due to the loss of traction power resulting from the cut of electricity supply to the trains.
- CNA/cc/ir
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