The North-East Line (NEL) now operates up to 40 trains during the morning peak period of 7.30am to 9.30am, Acting Minister for Transport Jeffrey Siow said in a written parliamentary reply on 23 September. This was an increase from 36 trains in 2024.
Siow was responding to Workers’ Party MPs Dennis Tan and Louis Chua’s parliamentary questions, who had asked about measures to relieve congestion, peak-hour frequency, passenger capacity, and utilisation.
The minister said that wait times are now less than two minutes. Most commuters can board the first train that arrives, though some may have to wait an additional two minutes for the next service.
He also pointed to measures beyond rail. Five new peak-hour bus services have been introduced in the northeast, with five existing ones enhanced.
Incentives under the Travel Smart Journeys programme were improved to encourage commuters to travel at different times or use other modes.
For longer-term relief, Siow highlighted ongoing projects. The Cross Island Line Phase 1 and its Punggol Extension, delayed by the pandemic, are on track to open in the early 2030s.
Feasibility studies are under way for a Seletar Line that could provide another route from the northeast to the city centre.
However, questions on maximum passengers per hour per direction and capacity utilisation during peak hours went unanswered. The reply also did not clarify how far the NEL’s capacity can be further increased beyond the current level of 40 trains.
The picture was further complicated by recent developments.
On 9 September, SBS Transit announced that it had temporarily reduced the number of trains on the NEL during morning peak hours as a precautionary measure.
The operator said this was to allow additional system checks after irregularities were detected. Services have since normalised, but the episode highlighted reliability risks despite capacity increases.
Commuters had already noticed changes before the announcement. Several told The Straits Times that from 16 August onwards, they experienced longer waits and heavier crowds during morning peaks.
Human resources business partner Janus Tan, 41, said that in the week of 18 August, he observed gaps of about five minutes between trains instead of the usual three. Trains were so packed that he could only stand near the doors at 7.40am, unlike before when space inside was available.
Student Bryan Yeo, 25, described “extremely crowded” trains at Buangkok around 8am. While he could board, he said subsequent stops at Hougang and Kovan left many commuters unable to enter as the trains were already full from Sengkang.
Both commuters expressed frustration at the lack of clear communication about the situation.
Frustration has also surfaced online. On Reddit, users discussed “bounce-back” commuting, where passengers ride northwards to Punggol Coast before returning south, to secure space on crowded trains.
Others highlighted that population growth in Punggol and Sengkang had outpaced rail capacity, with one user calling the northeast “underserved” compared with other regions.
Many expressed pessimism, saying the line was already operating at its maximum frequency of one train every two minutes, leaving little room for improvement without new lines.
The post Minister highlights 40 peak-hour trains on NEL as commuters report worsening crowding appeared first on The Online Citizen.
