Overview

• A flashover in a voltage transformer at the NEL depot substation triggered trips in both main and backup power supplies on Aug 12, halting services across 11 North East Line stations and the entire Sengkang–Punggol LRT.
• Engineers bypassed the faulty transformer by drawing power from the Dhoby Ghaut substation, enabling progressive NEL service restorations from 12.50 pm and full operation by 2.10 pm.
• Sengkang LRT services resumed at 3.34 pm and Punggol LRT at around 4.10 pm under single-track operations to manage electrical load, with full LRT service reinstated by 9.20 pm and confirmed on the morning of Aug 13.
• Around 350 LTA and SBS Transit staff guided stranded commuters and provided free bridging and regular bus services during the outage.
• The incident has prompted an LTA-led review of shared-substation vulnerabilities as engineers investigate root causes and repair the depot switchboard to prevent recurrence.