Evaluation of Major Train Delay on North-South Line and Frequency of Similar Train Faults in Past Three Years

Written Reply to Parliamentary Question

Mr Jackson Lam asked the Acting Minister for Transport

a.          what are the root causes identified for the major delay on the North-South Line between Ang Mo Kio and Woodlands on 26 December 2025 due to a train fault;

b.          how often have similar faults occurred on the North-South Line in the past three years; and

c.           how are incident responses evaluated for improvement.

Reply by Acting Minister for Transport Jeffrey Siow:

1.          Preliminary investigations indicate that the delay was caused by a fault in the backup power system that supports critical systems on the affected train. For safety reasons, the train is designed to stop if there is a loss of power to its critical systems.

2.          This was the first occurrence of such a fault. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) and SMRT are working with the train’s original equipment manufacturer to identify the root cause and measures to prevent a recurrence.

3.          LTA and the rail operator will review the overall incident response to identify areas for improvement, including in terms of service recovery, commuter management, and public communications.