Perhaps you have been affected by a recent Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) breakdown, or have definitely heard of them. They’re big, they’re disruptive, they’re a symbol of failure. And they have occurred with increasing prevalence over the past year–nearly daily! That begs the questions: Why? How? 

This short piece wishes to break down (pun intended) some of the breakdowns, how did the breakdowns affect Singapore, and why and how we should improve in the future. However, we need to talk about some incidents that have contributed to this breaking point.  

September 2024 East-West Line (EWL) Disruption  

This one is a big one. Heck, it even made itself a Wikipedia article! In a nutshell, an axle box dislodged from an out-of-service train, damaged a bunch of track and wiring, breaking down service from Boon Lay to Queenstown for a whole SIX days, one of the longest train disruptions in history. This was unprecedented, with the train being along a very heavily used stretch of rail, and also the only direct access point from Buona Vista and Queenstown to the (Far) West. 

The recent disruptions 

Eight disruptions in December 2024. Seven more in July 2025. In fact, this recent string of MRT disruptions has led me to make this article. Many of these affected vital stretches of track, from Toa Payoh to Somerset on NSL, and from HarbourFront to Serangoon on CCL. Even this month, twelve days in, Boon Lay to Buona Vista (the same stretch!) on EWL and Farrer Park to Punggol Coast on NEL were already screaming with problems!

Significance 

Some people might think “hey, this is just a disruption, very quickly will go away one”, but it goes deeper. Never before have so many spans of track, all of which play their vital part in serving their line’s residents (EWL to the west, NEL to the North-East, CCL spanning the circumference of the city), broken down. This is a serious indicator in the direction of the MRT from now on. Commutes will be much more packed due to more limited travel options during MRT breakdowns. The MRT’s famed reliability will come into question. People need to be prepared for the inevitable train breakdown affecting their region. 

This is highly impactful given the relative unreliability of our bus network. Yes, they are frequent, but how many times have you sat at the bus stop for what feels like an eternity waiting for a bus that was supposed to arrive ten minutes ago? A quick search on Apple Maps for the Clementi Station Exit A bus stop shows that a majority of buses came delayed. The average Singaporean’s generally fixed commute has now been flipped upside down. Never mind the speed of buses especially in estate areas. A train breakdown increases strain on the already pained bus network. Even bus bridging services during MRT breakdowns are slow, due to the distance between the bus bridging stops to the actual MRT station locations. We can look at Jurong East MRT station as an example. 

Causes 

Though these strings of train breakdowns could definitely have luck play as a factor in them, it still stands that there are significant factors affecting the likelihood of train breakdowns.  

Firstly, strain on the system. Governmental initiatives such as increasing openness to migrants as well as encouraging increasing the birth rate, has increased not just the population, but the amount of commuters on the MRT. The Johor Bahru-Singapore economic area attracts thousands of workers from the Malaysian side to work and use the Singapore MRT.  

Secondly, age. The MRT is an aging system, being nearly forty years old. This is especially so on the EWL, NSL, NEL, and CCL, as the first four lines to be opened. Hence, it shows no surprise that they are the lines that suffer from the most breakdowns. The rolling stock, however, is still being upgraded frequently, which is definitely a positive. 

Thirdly, maintenance. In 2023, the chairman of SMRT flagged that the company doesn’t “want over maintenance”, citing cost balancing issues. Of course, this is valid, as running the MRT is very expensive. However, it also strikes a possibility of missing the mark. The lack of over maintenance, though good at times, could lead to under maintenance when maintenance becomes shoved to the back of everyone’s minds. From there, reliability issues are likely to arise. 

For the future 

This piece wishes to advocate for two main points: empowering our bus network, and emphasising on maintenance and reliability.  

Empowering the bus network will serve on two fronts, streamlining our transport system as a whole, and being able to serve as a last resort if the train network decides to go poof. Most of the methods to improve this front would likely be financial. This is expensive, but I believe it is necessary given the importance the bus network has to Singapore’s transport system as a whole. Raising bus driver salaries, encouraging bus transport in education, investing in new buses and renovating buses, increasing route coverage and removing redundancies, etc.  

On the maintenance and reliability front, I wish to emphasise that this is a non-negotiable. Singapore’s MRT network is a pinnacle of the region, being an example for many to follow. Furthermore, millions of commuters rely on the MRT system daily to get to their jobs and live their lives. Without an emphasis on maintenance, we might lose it all. It also may serve as a trend for the future, a culture of reduced maintenance could cause a system to fall into gradual disrepair.  

It is clear people are impacted by this serious train breakdown issue. From students to workers, the elderly to tourists, the effects of train breakdowns are reverberating through our precariously built framework that Singapore stands on. Our reputation is at risk. 

If you would, contact your Member of Parliament, or write in feedback to the relevant authorities. Singapore is a nation built on by fixing past mistakes and being a visionary for the future, it’s the way we’ve survived for sixty years. And so, only by sticking to these principles, can we succeed.