Heavy rain adds to commuter woes amid E-W Line disruption
Commuters using the East-West Line faced a second day of disruption with train services still not available between Jurong East and Buona Vista MRT stations as at 8.30am on Sept 26, following a traction power fault that took place a day earlier.
Transport operator SMRT has been sending out updates on its social media platforms. In the latest update at about 8.30am on X, it said that shuttle train services and free regular bus services are available between Boon Lay and Jurong East MRT stations. Bridging bus services are also available between Jurong East and Buona Vista stations.
“We encourage fellow commuters to look out for persons with special needs,” it added.
In an earlier update, it had also urged passengers to follow station staff instructions to continue their journeys.
Apart from the disruption and confusion, both commuters and station staff had another problem to deal with – a heavy downpour that began at about 8am. Station staff at Buona Vista and Jurong East were seen trying to even out the distances between commuters and buses.
Many station staff could be also seen going out of their way to prevent commuters from getting drenched by signalling buses to park nearer to the bus stop and also assisting those who are wheel-chair bound.
One commuter, who wanted to be known only as Ms Wong, told The Straits Times that she was headed to Jurong East MRT station where a company bus would pick her up at 6.55am.
The previous day, she said she boarded a feeder bus that took her 1hr 10min to get from Jurong East to Queenstown.
“I normally leave the house at 6.25am, but I left the house one hour earlier today,” said the 56-year-old, who works at a data centre.
“I was concerned… there are no instructions. I’m not sure what time the train is leaving.
“When I arrive at Buona Vista, I need to take the feeder bus to Boon Lay. How do I get from Boon Lay to Jurong East? There will definitely be a jam, the feeder bus picking up people… I think I’ll definitely be late for work, then how?”
Her confusion and concern was mirrored elsewhere.
ST understands that many commuters appear to think that there are bridging bus services from Queenstown, only to be told that they have to catch the train to Buona Vista to be able to use the bus services.
At Queenstown, many confused passengers were playing it safe and not getting on a train before checking with staff or other commuters first.
There were also a number of SMRT staff on the platform with commuters crowding around them to ask how to get to their destinations. Police officers were also on site patrolling the platform.
Another commuter who felt clueless about the new protocol, Ms Aswathy Prasad said: “I blur already, and no one told me about this,” adding there was no prior announcement in the train, nor were there any staff at Boon Lay station to alert her.
The 35-year-old nurse said she was worried about being late for work that starts at 7am in Tanah Merah and found the whole situation “troublesome”. However, taking a Grab vehicle was not an option as prices were too expensive.
Checks by ST on ride-hailing platforms such as Grab, ComfortDelGro, and Gojek at 7.15am showed that a ride from Jurong East MRT to Buona Vista MRT - which are three stops apart - costs between $24 and $31.
Rides from Buona Vista and Jurong East to Tanjong Pagar cost around $16 to $24, and $36 to $42 respectively.
Ms Leigh Soong made the journey early via the train from Tampines to Paya Lebar and then to Buona Vista to take the company bus to work, instead of usually taking the train straight to Joo Koon.
The 19-year-old, who works in the biomedical field, said: “I woke up at 5am today, (an hour earlier than usual) and left home at 5.30am. Yesterday I took the train from Joo Koon to Boon Lay and then I took a grab home for $42. Usually it is about $23. This is my first time experiencing a disruption.” She added that she felt “so lost”.
At the Jurong East Station at 6.20am, ST observed MRT staff shouting across platforms, informing commuters that there would be no train services from Jurong East to Pasir Ris/Changi Airport, while there were about 35 people waiting.
Almost 10 minutes later, about five SMRT staff members were seen guiding commuters to the bus stop. Elderly commuters did not seem happy about the situation as the bus stop is a long walk from the MRT, including having to pass through Westgate Mall.
Commuters were initially left befuddled as Jurong East station has two platforms - A and B - heading towards Pasir Ris/Changi Airport, but the announcement did not state that platform B also serves those heading towards Boon Lay, leaving about 50 commuters still waiting around at platform B.
Those waiting at platform F that is headed to Tuas also seemed to be unsure because the announcement did not mention where trains are going.
Ten minutes later, however, another announcement was made stating which platforms were heading towards Boon Lay.
At around 7am, SMRT had included a Mandarin version of the announcement.
Over at Buona Vista, long queues stretching nearly 100m, developed for bus services. Those at the end of the line appeared clueless as to where to go. Crowds gathered around SMRT staff who were giving directions. Police officers were also present, with some helping to also give directions.
Mr Lim Tien Hock, chief executive officer of SBS Transit’s (SBST) bus business, was also seen at Buona Vista directing buses and commuters.
He told ST: “For SBST, we are supporting the bus bridging (services) for the disruption of the EWL, in support of LTA and SMRT.
“Because our buses are also deployed here to provide the bus bridging from Buona Vista to Jurong East, I thought I would also like to be here (as my guys are also on the ground), to make sure that things are moving smoothly.”
Mr Lim said he arrived at around 5.30am, to catch the first train which leaves at 6.16am and to make sure things are in place as SBST’s buses arrive on time and queues are well-managed.
On SMRT’s Facebook page, many were asking for advice on how to plan their travel routes, some queries rolling in as early as 4am. The travel operator replied to most netizens, giving step-by-step advice on where to change trains, exit, or take the bus.
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