SMRT calls NSL delay 'minor' after initial 'major delay' alert: 'One last breakdown before fare hike'
SMRT's Boxing Day warning of a "major delay" on the North-South Line (NSL) was later amended by the rail operator to a "minor delay", even as commuters reported travel delays of up to an hour as they went to work.
"Correction to this thread: Please note that the delay is a minor delay, not a major one. Thank you for your understanding," read a correction to an X thread on SMRT's official account on Dec 26.
The delay, which affected eight stations between Ang Mo Kio and Woodlands, was announced on X at 7.46am. The post was corrected at 8.47am.
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SMRT later reported that train services between the affected stations resumed about half an hour later.
A commuter who was stranded at Yishun MRT station for an hour told Stomp that
"no proper instructions were given" and that there was "poor management" of the delay.
In a separate incident on Dec 2, a 20-minute delay along the East-West Line also angered commuters who slammed what they saw as a lack of timely communication from SMRT.
The breakdowns follow a 5 per cent rise in transport fares announced in October, which is set to take effect from Dec 27.
'One last breakdown before fare hike': Netizens express frustration
Frustrated commuters took to social media to voice their displeasure.
"One last breakdown before fare [sic] hike again tomorrow," one netizen remarked on The Straits Times' Facebook post about the breakdown.
Another agreed: "Breakdown whole year round. Even [sic] last few days of the year not spared."
On Reddit, netizens created memes about the incident, joking that the delay was a "Christmas gift" from SMRT. A bingo card recording the dates of breakdowns and delays also resurfaced on subreddit r/SMRTRabak.
Some netizens were less amused, as one user noted: "Really cannot make it. So many issues recently."
Another called the train service "annoying" and "useless", saying that it was "getting bad [sic] to worse", while one slammed SMRT for the impending fare hike.
One netizen added that station announcements were unclear: "What's infuriating is that the announcement voice talking inside the train [sic] can't understand a word it says. 2025 and the voice audio is still stuck in 1990s [sic]."
Some were more sympathetic towards SMRT, with one saying that delays were to be expected before the entire rail system could gel.
