Safety on the Mass Rapid Transit

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The safety of the Mass Rapid Transit system in Singapore was questioned by the public after several accidents on the system during the 1980s and 1990s. Most problems have been addressed, and many safety measures are visible to users of the system.

1 Incidents & Accidents
2 Safety

[edit] Incidents & Accidents

Around 7:50 AM, 5 August 1993

2 Kawasaki Heavy Industries C151 Trains collided with each other at Clementi Station, resulting in 132 injuries. The collision happened because a work train that did maintenance work earlier that morning had spilled some oil onto the tracks. One of the trains passing by that stretch of track that morning had been unable to brake in time because of the oil, resulting in a collision with a stationary train at the station which was waiting to move off upon the recharging of its brakes.

Around 2 AM, 9 October 1997

A maintenance train derailed in the tunnel near Toa Payoh Station. The derailment occurred because a staff member had failed to reset the track alignment properly. Disruption to train services between Bishan Station & Newton Station lasted about 8 hours.

Around 10 AM, 13 April 1999

An empty Siemens C651 Train on its way back to Bishan Depot after the morning peak service derailed between the Yio Chu Kang Station & Ang Mo Kio Station. The derailment occurred because the station master had failed to reset the track alignment properly. Disruption to train services lasted about 7 hours.

23 April 2002

21 Kawasaki Heavy Industries & Nippon Sharyo C751B Trains were withdrawn from service due to faulty gearboxes, though there were no safety implications. There were reduced train services on all lines resulting from this shortage of trains.

3 March 2003

A car crashed onto a stretch of at-grade track along Lentor Avenue in between Khatib Station and Yio Chu Kang Station, resulting in a light, minor collision by an oncoming train. Disruption to train services between along this section of the line lasted almost 3 hours.

2000s

Commuter deaths as a result of being hit by trains on the tracks at these above ground/at-grade stations without platform screen doors: Bukit Batok Station, Redhill Station, Marsiling Station, Chinese Garden Station, Clementi Station, Bukit Batok Station, Yishun Station, Ang Mo Kio Station, Bishan Station, Kallang Station, Admiralty Station & Buona Vista Station accidental or suicidal.

24 July 2006

HarbourFront, Outram Park, Chinatown and Clarke Quay MRT Station were closed due to a loss of traction power with a train stalling after Outram Park Station at 1245 (SST). Attempts to bring the power back failed and hundred passengers were evacuated from the trains. According to later investigations, a cable which supplied traction power came loose. Train service was disrupted for hours and operator SBS Transit activated shuttle bus services to ferry commuters between affected stations. [1]

[edit] Safety

These incidents have prompted the authorities to consider strengthening the fences along the at grade sections of train track running beside the roads, which was done. There was a proposal to install platform screen doors at elevated stations and platform gates (such as those installed on the Tokyo Monorail) at elevated stations, but was rejected due to the high installation & maintenance costs, which could eventually be borne by the passenger. Safety was also an issue as there was the risk that passengers might get trapped in the gap created between the platform gates and the train as a result of the platform gates. The idea to use CCTV cameras led to all elevated stations as of 2005 having recordable digital CCTV systems. Eventually the remaining underground stations are planned to have this new system too. More CCTV cameras are also progressively being installed in all stations. There have been no accidents on the North-East line.

[edit] Announcements

There are other announcements played in MRT stations to ensure that the rail transport system is a safe and clean place for commuters to travel:

"Your attention please, eating or drinking is not allowed in stations and trains. Thank you for helping us to keep the stations and trains clean for the comfort of all passengers"

"Your attention please, for your own safety, please stand behind the yellow line." (Above-ground stations only)

There are also announcements providing tips for commuters, mostly tourists, such as

"Dear Passengers, if you are using a standard ticket for a single trip, you may obtain a refund of your one dollar deposit from the ticketing machine, at your destination station. Thank You".

This announcement is most often played on the North South Line and East West Line from Newton to Raffles Place and Lavender to Outram Park respectively, which are located within the Central Business District.

The most common announcements are train service related announcements. Examples include:

"The train at Platform A terminates at Yishun (repeats once). Thank you."

"Your attention please, the train at Platform B is not for passenger service: please do not board it. Please wait for the next passenger service train. Thank you."

Such announcements are played during peak hours when short-trip services occur. Announcements are played whenever the train reaches an Interchange station, to inform commuters to which lines they can transfer to. For example, the announcement on the North South Line when the train reaches Jurong East would be

"Jurong East Interchange. This Train is terminating at Jurong East Interchange. Passengers going towards City Hall, and Pasir Ris, please alight on the Left, and transfer to another train. Passengers going towards Chinese Garden, Lakeside, or Boon Lay, Please alight on the Right, and transfer to another train. Thank You for travelling with SMRT. Jurong East Interchange."

At terminus station, an additional message "Thank you for travelling with SMRT" (on the North South and East West Line) or "Thank you for travelling with SBS Transit" (North East Line)will be played.

Recently, there have been new announcements both in stations and trains reminding passenger to be cautious about suspicious articles. The specific announcement is:

"Attention all passengers. Please do not leave your belongings unattended. If you see any suspicious article, please inform our staff, or call 999"

The announcement is also broadcast in the three other national languages: Mandarin Chinese, Malay, and Tamil, but in only one language when announced in trains.

[edit] Fire Safety

After the Daegu subway fire incident in South Korea, fire prevention became an important consideration of the Mass Rapid Transit system of Singapore. The MRT uses the guidelines of the American National Fire Prevention Authorities (NFPA), which were established for enhancing fire safety within metro systems. The guidelines contain criteria concerning the availability of emergency exits (within 600m), emergency evacuation time (max. 6 min.), escalators, and other design features. All the MRT stations and trains have more than one fire-extinguisher and smoke detection systems are installed in all North-East Line trains.

[edit] Safety Announcements & The Yellow Line

Don't risk both a fine and your life!

In elevated stations, a wide yellow line is drawn along the platform's edge to remind passengers not to stand too near to the edge.

Under the Rapid Transit System (RTS) Regulations 11 and 29, commuters who ignore the instruction not to cross yellow line until the train has stopped at the station may be fined up to $500. For those who are caught trespassing onto the tracks, they may be fined up to $5,000.

Safety announcements reminding passengers to stand behind the yellow line are played in all 4 official languages (English, Mandarin, Malay, Tamil) on the platforms whenever a train is approaching (at 1 minute before the train arrives), especially during peak hours:

"Your attention please, for your own safety, please stand behind the yellow line." (English)
"大家请注意，为了您自己的安全，请站在黄线后面。" (Chinese)
"Sila ambil perhatian. Demi keselamatan anda, harap berdiri di belakang garisan kuning." (Malay)
"அன்பு கூர்ந்து பயணிகள் கவனிக்கவும் உங்கலின் பாதுகாபை முன்னிட்டு மஞல் கோட்டுக்கு பின்னால் நிலுஙள்." (Tamil)

Other safety announcements on the platform include:

"If you are using the escalator, please hold on to the handrail. Thank you. (North East Line Stations only)

There are also safety announcements on the train. For example, before a North South Line train switches over to the middle track when it arrives at Jurong East there would be an announcement saying:

"This train will be crossing over to the middle track soon. For your own safety, please hold on to the grab poles and hand grips."

This announcement was created, as some time ago, many commuters kept losing their balance whenever the train was being diverted into another track, despite the train cruising at relatively low speeds when approaching Jurong East station.

[edit] Platform Screen Doors

Platform Screen doors of Dhoby Ghaut Station. Doors on all NSL And EWL underground stations, except Changi Airport, are of this type, which is of the first generation.

Platform Screen Doors by Westinghouse (a member of the Knorr-Bremse Group) are installed at all underground MRT stations. Singapore's Mass Rapid Transit was the first heavy rail system in the world to incorporate the platform screen doors in its stations in 1987 (according to Westinghouse Platform Screen Doors). These doors serve to prevent suicides, enable climate control within the station (better ventilation and air conditioning), better security control as access to the tunnels and tracks is restricted, and for passenger safety considerations.

There are 2 series of the platform screen doors in use. The first series, installed at the underground stations along the North South Line and the East West Line (except Changi Airport station), have been in use since 1987. These cost about S$1 million extra per platform it was installed in. The latest series of platform screen doors, featuring a sleeker design and incorporating more glass, are installed at the Changi Airport station and all stations (all underground) along the North East Line in 2002 and 2003 respectively.

NS17 Bishan Station Platforms will be retrofitted with platform screen doors by 2007.