Pupils sitting for the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) will not be penalised for arriving late if they are affected by the significant disruption on Singapore’s East-West Line (EWL).
In response to media queries on 25 September 2024, the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) confirmed that students who reach their examination centres before the end of the paper will be given the full allotted time to complete their exams.
SEAB clarified that students had been briefed about existing arrangements for such scenarios, ensuring that no candidate would face penalties for being late due to the transport issues.
The announcement came as an hours-long disruption halted train services between Boon Lay and Queenstown stations on the EWL, following a severe fault and power failure earlier that day.
Train Fault Causes Major Service Disruption
The disruption began around 9:00 a.m. on 25 September when an eastbound train near Clementi station encountered a fault.
As efforts were made to withdraw the damaged train, a power trip occurred at approximately 9:25 a.m., resulting in the suspension of train services between Boon Lay and Queenstown.
The disruption caused significant delays for commuters during the busy morning rush hour, with affected passengers scrambling for alternative transport options, including bus bridging services. Long queues formed at bus stops, exacerbating the challenges faced by commuters.
According to the Land Transport Authority (LTA), preliminary investigations revealed that damage had occurred to both the running rails and the third rail, which supplies power to the trains.
The damage was caused during the withdrawal of the faulty train, and its extent required immediate suspension of train services along the affected stretch.
In a statement, LTA noted that repair work was underway, but given the complexity of the damage, services between Boon Lay and Queenstown were expected to remain suspended for the rest of the day.
LTA added that more time might be required for repairs, and SMRT and LTA would conduct further assessments during engineering hours to determine whether regular services could resume by 26 September.
Contingency Measures for PSLE Candidates
Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat addressed the situation in a Facebook post, acknowledging the severe impact of the disruption. He mentioned that the LTA and train operator SMRT were working together to assess the damage and would update the public after further evaluations during engineering hours.
Mr Chee emphasised the importance of contingency planning, given that the PSLE written examinations were set to begin on 26 September.
“There is a possibility that normal train service cannot resume tomorrow; the team from SMRT and LTA will assess and confirm during engineering hours tonight. As PSLE written examinations will start tomorrow, we are in touch with the Ministry of Education and SEAB to prepare contingencies to minimise the impact on our students,” said Mr Chee.
The first written PSLE paper, the English language examination, is scheduled for 26 September, while the PSLE written exams will run until 2 October, concluding with the Higher Mother Tongue language papers.
Long Queues and Frustration During Evening Rush Hour
Frustrations mounted as official announcements about the scale of the disruption were delayed by about an hour after the incident occurred.
This delay left many commuters unaware of the severity of the problem until much later in the day. As evening rush hour approached, the situation worsened with bridging bus services unable to cope with the overwhelming demand.
Massive queues formed at bus stops and stations as thousands of commuters tried to get home.
With the EWL out of service along the affected stretch, commuters were left with limited options, leading to overcrowded buses and extended waiting times. The inability of the bridging services to handle the large number of passengers added to the frustrations of those who had already experienced significant delays during the morning rush.
Many commuters expressed disappointment with the lack of timely updates and the inefficiency of the alternative transport arrangements.
This marks the third major disruption on SMRT’s East-West Line in just a month, intensifying scrutiny of the line’s reliability, particularly during peak commuting hours.
The repeated disruptions have led to increasing frustration among commuters, who face not only delays but also overcrowding on alternative transport options during these service failures.
