PUBLISHED ONAugust 15, 2025 1:24 AMUPDATEDAugust 15, 2025 9:01 AMBYSean LerKhoo Yi-HangServices on the Sengkang-Punggol LRT (SPLRT) have been fully restored by about 12.50pm, said SBS Transit.
Free regular bus and bridging bus services have stopped.
This comes after train service on the SPLRT was disrupted earlier this morning (Aug 15) due to a power fault.
In an update just after 12pm, SBS Transit said that services are progressively available on the Sengkang LRT since 11.05am, and on the Punggol LRT since 11.20am amid ongoing recovery works.
Service on the Sengkang LRT also operated in one direction on both the East and West Loops from 3.15pm to 5.00pm, according to SBS Transit.
This facilitated inspection of cables and will enable repairs to take place more efficiently in the evening.
At Sengkang Town Centre station, the train servicing the west loop headed towards SW8 Renjong station, while the train serving the east loop went in the direction of SE5 Ranggung station.
In a Facebook post at about 12.40pm, SBS Transit group chief executive Jeffrey Sim said that at around 8.40am, service on the Sengkang-Punggol LRT was affected by a power fault and services at all 29 stations were unavailable for two hours.
Preliminary findings, he added, suggest that a cable fault between two stations tripped the LRT network.
"Following the earlier incident on Aug 12, 2025, which damaged the back-up switch board of the power system, we are now running on only the main and single switch board," he said.
"Without the availability of the back-up switch board, this cable fault caused service to be disrupted and a lengthier service recovery time."
The cable fault on Friday resulted in 10 trains stalling on the tracks, and all passengers, including those on mobility aids, were able to disembark from the trains safely.
"This took some time before recovery works could proceed," he said.
Sim said that teams from SBS Transit are working hard to restore the power, and they are working closely to expedite the repair of the backup power system.
"We apologise for the inconvenience caused," he said.
Over at Punggol MRT station this morning, AsiaOne observed station managers on the ground guiding commuters to the bridging buses at the bus interchange nearby.
They would escort commuters to temporary queues for buses headed to destinations along the LRT line's east and west loops, with many commuters expressing gratitude for their guidance.
However, some commuters were not pleased by the breakdown, with one commuter sharing his dissatisfaction with AsiaOne.
Student Qiang Kai said he uses the LRT regularly to travel to school and home.
He told AsiaOne that he was on his way back to his home near Samudera LRT station.
"Normally the LRT will take nine mins, but the bus might take much longer," the 16-year-old said.
He also felt let down by the disruption, stating: "[This is] not very reliable, I thought maybe once I can deal with it, but twice in three days is very annoying."
Adeline, a commuter on her way to Coral Edge LRT station, shared that she wasn't too bothered by the breakdowns.
"I don't really travel here often and there's a bridging bus so it's fine," the 33-year-old said. "It's a minor inconvenience, I'm a little bit late to an appointment but that's fine."
Izzad, a 30-year-old teacher, expressed concern over the breakdown.
"People at this hour need to go for their work and such and this delays their timings and might affect their work and life," he commented.
"It is inconvenient, because whether you live nearby or far away... [you are] going to be delayed."
The Friday morning disruption comes three days after a power switchboard failed and caused a major disruption affecting 11 MRT stations on the Northeast Line and the entire SPLRT.
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editor@asiaone.com
