SINGAPORE – The performance of the MRT network dipped as at the end of August compared with the previous month, based on the latest figures from the Land Transport Authority (LTA).
However, compared with the 12 months ending June 2025, when it tumbled to its lowest level since 2020, the reliability of the MRT system has improved.
LTA on Oct 10 released its first monthly rail reliability report as it moves away from its practice of publishing these numbers quarterly. These new monthly reports are meant to “improve transparency and accountability”, said the authority.
On average, MRT trains clocked 1.74 million train-km without delays that lasted more than five minutes between September 2024 and August 2025.
This is down from 1.82 million train-km in July, though higher than 1.6 million train-km in June.
The Downtown Line (DTL) and North East Line (NEL), both run by public transport operator SBS Transit (SBST), suffered sharp drops in their reliability.
The DTL clocked 2.76 million train-km between delays as at August, dropping from 4.13 million train-km in July, although it remains the best-performing line on the MRT network.
It has been the most reliable MRT line since 2020.
As for the NEL, it logged an average of 2.14 million train-km between delays, tumbling from 4.26 million train-km in July.
It ranked second in rail reliability among five MRT lines. The SMRT-run Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL), which is not fully completed, was not factored into this.
The East-West Line (EWL) also experienced a drop in reliability, with 1.68 million train-km travelled between delays as at August, down from 2.02 million train-km in July.
In fourth place was the North-South Line (NSL), which posted an average of 1.65 million train-km between delays as at August – an improvement from 1.41 million train-km in July.
NSL and EWL, the two oldest lines on the MRT network, are run by public transport operator SMRT.
The Circle Line, also run by SMRT, was the least reliable among the five lines, clocking 1.25 million train-km between delays as at August, up from 1.07 million train-km in July.
The reliability figures are based on a 12-month moving average of mean kilometres between failure (MKBF), which captures the distance a train travels before encountering a delay of more than five minutes but does not account for the severity of disruptions.
Singapore has an MKBF target of one million train-km for the entire MRT network.
In another first, reliability figures for the TEL were published separately, with the line posting 311,000 train-km between delays as at August, down from 373,000 train-km in July.
LTA said newer rail lines in their early stages tend to operate at a significantly lower mileage, since ridership remains low and trains are not run at typical frequencies.
It takes time for the operation of new lines – especially those still undergoing construction – to stabilise, added the authority.
MKBF may hence be less reflective of the reliability of a new line like the TEL, which opened in phases from 2020.
LTA said the line is still in its initial engineering “bathtub” stage, where teething issues are expected to emerge as the system stabilises.
These include issues with the TEL’s new signalling system, which it has been working with the original equipment manufacturer, French company Alstom, and SMRT to address.
Issues arising in the initial stages of operations or as part of ongoing works differ from the faults that occur on more mature rail lines, added LTA.
SMRT said on Oct 10 that the early years are an important phase for identifying and resolving engineering issues quickly.
LTA said it has started reporting the TEL’s MKBF data since the line has amassed a year of more representative data since its fourth stage from Tanjong Rhu to Bayshore opened in June 2024.
The authority previously said the TEL’s operating figures would not accurately reflect its reliability when compared with existing lines as it is not fully open. The TEL’s fifth and final stage from Bedok South to Sungei Bedok is
expected to open in the second half of 2026
.
On the LRT front, overall reliability decreased, with an average of 420,000 car-km between delays as at August, down from 442,000 car-km in July.
The Sengkang-Punggol LRT, run by SBST, clocked 840,000 car-km between delays, a drop from 1.26 million car-km in July.
The SMRT-operated Bukit Panjang LRT posted 209,000 car-km between delays, up from the 192,000 car-km posted in July.
The move to publish monthly reports comes after Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow told Parliament on Sept 22 that he had asked LTA to
provide the public with more data
to give a fuller picture of rail performance.
He added: “We will be transparent because we have a good system, and we have nothing to hide.”
LTA said it will also look into publishing more indicators, including those that better reflect the impact of disruptions on passengers.
It is exploring indicators that could include the number of passenger trips affected by rail disruptions, which accounts for the extent and duration of these breakdowns.
These will be included in the next rail reliability report.
Other indicators being looked at include the share of scheduled mileage travelled by trains in service, and the punctuality of trains reaching each terminus.
LTA said these indicators would allow it to provide more international comparisons with major metros that use similar reliability measurements other than MKBF.
Rail reliability has been in the spotlight of late, given a spate of at least 15 disruptions from July to September, prompting the Government to form a
rail reliability task force
.
Some high-profile major delays include a power fault in August originating from an NEL depot substation that
tripped up
services
on both the MRT line and Sengkang-Punggol LRT
for several hours, and a train fault in September on the TEL that
disrupted services for two hours
.
In August, there were two delays that lasted more than 30 minutes on the MRT network – one on the NEL and the other on the DTL. There were no such delays across the MRT lines in June and July, based on LTA’s latest report.
Two delays spanning more than 30 minutes occurred on the Bukit Panjang LRT in July, and two took place on the Sengkang-Punggol LRT in August. No delays of this scale happened on the LRT network in June.
