SINGAPORE - A train fault on the North-South Line on Monday (Nov 6) morning led to delays for commuters heading towards the city.

The Straits Times understands that it was caused by a defective train that ran past the platforms at Bishan and Ang Mo Kio stations.

Some commuters said the southbound trains from Yio Chu Kang to Newton stations stopped for five minutes at each station.

IT engineer Lek Chun Liang, 30, told The Straits Times he was at Ang Mo Kio station at about 7.50am, when a southbound train pulled up and overshot the station.

The train had to reverse before it opened its doors for commuters to board.

Mr Lek, who was travelling to Orchard for work, said it took him longer than usual to get to his destination. He usually takes about 15 minutes, but on Monday morning it took him about half an hour.

He said: "When I entered the train, it didn't depart immediately, and delayed for a while before moving off. At that time there were no announcements.

"After slowly travelling towards Bishan, the train overshot the stop again and had to reverse back."

Mr Lek added that after the train doors closed, it delayed for longer than it did at Ang Mo Kio station, before moving off.

"When it departed Bishan, there was an announcement that there was a train fault and that everyone had to alight at Braddell and board the next train," he added.

When The Straits Times arrived at Braddell station at 9am, the crowd had cleared.

Mr Muhd Rahim, 24, operations assistant, who was heading to work from Yishun and alighted at Braddell, said: "People were sighing each time the train stopped, but at least the crowd quickly cleared up."

Mr Ivan Looi C.K., a 32-year-old trader who was travelling from Bukit Batok to Braddell, said that he experienced a delay of about 15 minutes and it definitely affected him getting to work on time.

An announcement at Braddell station said that due to an earlier train fault, a five-minute delay was to be expected from Yio Chu Kang to Newton.

Meanwhile, up to four south-bound trains could be seen at a standstill on the tracks along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 at around 8.30am.

A check on the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board (SEAB) website showed that there were two A-level written exams for General Paper and Knowledge and Inquiry, happening on Monday morning.

Parents of affected students should call the schools and inform them about their situation. Affected students will be given time allowances to complete their papers. They also have the option of going to a nearby examination centre to sit for the exam.

The Straits Times has contacted SMRT for more information.