Singapore’s MRT network is set to clear two million mean kilometres between failures for a sixth straight month, and to push overall MKBF above three million for the first time, Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow said on 15 October 2026.
The Ministry of Transport tied the October rail reliability report to a Bukit Panjang LRT renewal milestone marked the same morning at Ten Mile Junction Depot.
Bukit Panjang LRT renewal
The BPLRT renewal, which began in 2018, is substantially complete. New third-generation light rail vehicles have replaced the first-generation fleet, all 13 second-generation cars have been upgraded for Communications-Based Train Control, and the system moved to full CBTC operations in November 2025. The Operations Control Centre upgrades finished in January 2026.
A renewed fleet of 32 LRVs has been in passenger service since October 2025. Power-rail replacement across 16.6 km remains on track for the end of 2026. BPLRT MKBF has risen from 53,000 car-km in 2017 to 443,000 car-km today.
Lift upgrades at 11 of 13 BPLRT stations are due by the end of October, with Choa Chu Kang and Bukit Panjang stations targeted for February 2027, a month ahead of the earlier schedule.
What the reliability numbers mean
MKBF is measured on a rolling 12-month basis, so a line that runs a full year without a delay-triggering failure hits a theoretical ceiling. The North East Line has gone a year without such a disruption. Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow stressed that safety stops still come first when a fault appears, and that occasional delays are inevitable on a large network.
The Rail Reliability Taskforce, set up last year, continues monthly planning with SMRT, SBS Transit and LTA. Commuters in Bukit Panjang and Choa Chu Kang are the immediate audience for the LRT works; the wider MKBF figures cover the MRT network as a whole.
