SINGAPORE: The Land Transport Authority (LTA) will now release rail reliability data on a monthly basis instead of quarterly and will also publish the number of train service delays lasting more than 30 minutes.
In a statement on Thursday, LTA said the change is part of its ongoing efforts to enhance transparency and accountability, allowing the public to gain a clearer understanding of the long-term performance of Singapore’s MRT network.
The move builds on standards first set in 2017, when then-Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan announced a target for trains to travel at least one million kilometres before experiencing a delay of more than five minutes. LTA achieved this benchmark in 2019 and has maintained it since.
“This remains a meaningful indicator, enabling comparisons between Singapore’s rail performance and that of leading global rail operators,” the authority said.
As of the end of August, the MRT network’s 12-month mean kilometres between failure (MKBF) stood at 1.74 million kilometres. This represents a slight decrease from 1.818 million kilometres in July, but an improvement from 1.598 million kilometres recorded at the end of June.
Performance varied across the lines. The North-South Line’s average fault interval increased to 1.648 million kilometres, while the Circle Line’s reliability improved to 1.245 million kilometres. However, both the Downtown Line and Northeast Line saw declines in reliability in August due to service delays, with their average MKBFs dropping to 2.76 million kilometres and 2.142 million kilometres, respectively.
LTA will also begin publishing the reliability data for the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL), along with figures on delays exceeding 30 minutes.
The authority noted that since the TEL began operations, it has been working closely with the system’s original equipment manufacturer to resolve early technical issues. The line is currently in what engineers refer to as the “bathtub stage” — a period where new systems experience teething problems before stabilising.
LTA said it expects the Thomson-East Coast Line’s performance to improve further after the full line opens and operates stably next year.
While the MKBF remains the international benchmark for rail reliability, LTA acknowledged that it does not capture the duration or passenger impact of each disruption.
To address this, the authority will start releasing the number of service delays lasting more than 30 minutes every month. It is also exploring the introduction of new indicators that reflect the overall impact on commuters, including the number of passenger trips affected, as well as the scope and duration of disruptions.
