Plans for shuttle train between Jurong East and Buona Vista MRT stations dropped as it would delay full restoration: LTA and SMRT

Plans to partially restore train services between Jurong East and Buona Vista MRT stations on Friday (Sept 27) have been dropped, to prioritise repairs for the full restoration of the East-West Line.

This was announced by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and train operator SMRT in a late-night media statement on Sept 26.

A return to full service is now targeted for Monday (Sept 30).

Earlier in the day, LTA and SMRT had said that they were exploring a single-line shuttle train service running every 20 minutes between Jurong East and Buona Vista.

In the statement, they said that they have since determined that while it could be done if they expedited repairs on one of the tracks, it would mean slowing down the repairs on the other damaged rail, as repairs cannot be done when the shuttle-train service is in operation.

Operating a shuttle train could risk delaying full restoration by a few days, SMRT added.

“On balance, it is better to expedite repair and prioritising restoring full service earlier, rather than run a 20-minute shuttle between Jurong East and Buona Vista stations.”

A faulty train caused a power trip on Wednesday morning that disrupted travel between Boon Lay and Queenstown stations.

Free regular and bridging bus services remain available for affected commuters. 

ALSO READ: We just have to work around it, say some commuters as MRT EWL disruption continues into third day 

editor@asiaone.com