SMRT should cover all medical expenses in Joo Koon collision: Workers’ Party
15 Nov 2017 05:37PM (Updated: 15 Nov 2017 06:04PM)
SINGAPORE: The Workers’ Party (WP) said it was “disturbed” to learn about the MRT train collision that happened on Wednesday morning (Nov 15) that left 28 people injured, calling on SMRT to cover all medical expenses resulting from the incident.
An SMRT train had collided with a stationary train at Joo Koon station at 8.20am, disrupting services along the East-West Line.
“We call on SMRT to render all necessary support to them, and ensure that the company covers all their medical expenses resulting from this incident, including any long-term treatment costs,” WP said in a statement.
It added: “The collision suggests a failure of the systems that ought to prevent such an event, which presumably should have several levels of checks.”
The WP also called on the Land Transport Authority to work with SMRT to “undertake an exhaustive root cause analysis” and “make the necessary system improvements to minimise the risk of such an accident recurring”.
“Millions of Singaporeans depend on the MRT for their daily commute. They should not have to worry about their safety when they travel to and from home, work, or school,” it added.
The incident was one of two faults which hit Singapore’s train system on Wednesday morning.
In a joint statement issued at 11.12am, SMRT and LTA said a train heading in the direction of Tuas Link station stalled at Joo Koon station at 8.18am.
A minute later, a second train stopped behind the faulty train. It then “moved forward unexpectedly, and came into contact with the first train”, the statement said.
Read more at
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/...n-smrt-9408920
Well done WP . Why are the other opposition parties keeping quiet on this issue ?
Joo Koon collision: Trains are not supposed to be anywhere near each other during service hours
Christopher Tan
Senior Transport Correspondent
PUBLISHED 1 HOUR AGO UPDATED45 MIN AGO
SINGAPORE - The word “ponding” comes to mind. It was used by national water agency PUB to describe massive floods which hit Singapore in December 2011.
Mr Vivian Balakrishnan, then Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, took issue with that in Parliament the following month.
“PUB should not have used the word ‘ponding’. As far as I am concerned, I call a spade a spade. A flood is a flood,” he said, echoing public sentiment.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) and rail operator SMRT described Wednesday’s (Nov 15) collision between two trains in Joo Koon station as an incident where one train had “come into contact” with another train, which conjures the imagery of a nudge. SMRT repeated the same phrase on its Facebook page.
“This morning at 8.18am, a train heading in the direction of Tuas Link station stalled at Joo Koon station. At 8.19am, a second train stopped behind the first faulty train. At 8.20am, the second train moved forward unexpectedly, and came into contact with the first train.”
This severely underplays the seriousness of an accident which left 28 people with injuries - with two categorised as “major emergencies”.
First and foremost, trains are not supposed to collide, or even come into contact with each other (unless one train was used to push out another disabled one, as has often been the case lately).
That is what the signalling system is for. It keeps a safe distance between trains, acting like an invisible, impenetrable barrier between locomotives. No metro system can operate without a reliable signalling system, which is actually the eyes of the network.
This is why when trains sense there is something amiss with the signalling system, or there is some interference, they will activate their emergency brakes. It is safety protocol - to be safe first than sorry later.
Why two trains were on the same platform at Joo Koon station on Wednesday morning is a mystery. Usually, a train cannot pull into a station when the one in front of it has not left the station. This is why trains sometimes stop in the middle of a tunnel, and passengers are left wondering. More often than not, it is precisely because the train in front has stopped for too long. So, instead of breaching the invisible barrier, the second train has to stop too, even if it is in the middle of nowhere.
That a train has somehow managed to breach this safety barrier is very worrying, to say the least. At Joo Koon, trains switch over from the old fixed block signalling system to the new moving block system. As of Wednesday evening, it appears the glitch that caused the collision hours earlier lies with the new system.
Thales, the French engineering group which supplied and installed the signalling system, was not contactable for comment. The new signalling system has been having numerous technical issues here, but none compromising safety, until Wednesday.
So, it is regrettable that SMRT and the LTA have chosen such a light term to describe the accident. Like the tunnel flooding which took place just last month, it is not trivial. A signalling failure can have grave consequences.
You do not need to have a vivid imagination to think of what might have happened if either train had more passengers. And if a “coming into contact” nudge can result in 28 people getting hurt, think of what a high-speed collision would entail.
continue reading here :
SMRT commuters hit by third disruption in one day, this time on North-South Line
PUBLISHED 1 HOUR AGO
Christopher Tan
Senior Transport Correspondent
SINGAPORE - Even as SMRT announced at around 5pm on Wednesday (Nov 15) that services on the East-West Line between Boon Lay and Tuas Link had resumed - albeit with slower trains - its North-South Line was hit by another glitch.
In its latest Twitter post, SMRT advised commuters to add 40 minutes to their travel time when commuting on the North-South Line.
It added that free one-way bridging services from Bishan to Yishun, as well as free regular bus services between Bishan and Yishun in both directions, were still available.
Commuters said trains had been moving slowly and stopping at each station for up to 15 minutes before moving again.
Business owner Manoj Kumar, 48, said he was at Dhoby Ghaut when the train stopped for around 15 minutes. It did the same at Somerset. At 5.40pm, he was still at Orchard station.
“People started walking out of the train,” he said. “My wife took my son to Admiralty Park to play. Her phone is flat. She is waiting for me because she does not know how to drive back. And the train is not moving.”
continue reading here :
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapor...ime-on-the-nsl
I wonder why SMRT today si beh suay ? 3 disruptions in 1 day .
I think something serious going to happen . I wonder what reasons Mr Khaw and Mr Kuek will give this time ?
Joo Koon collision: Software glitch in signalling system results in second train misjudging distance
PUBLISHED 6 MIN AGO
Adrian Lim Transport Correspondent
SINGAPORE -
An unprecedented software glitch in the signalling system of the East-West Line resulted in a collision between two MRT trains at Joo Koon station on Wednesday morning (Nov 15).
This resulted in a stalled train at Joo Koon being mistakenly profiled as a three-car train instead of a six-car one in the system, operator SMRT and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) revealed.
As a result, a second train which stopped 10.7m behind the first one “misjudged the distance” between the two, resulting in a collision, and injuring 28 people.
Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said: “It’s an awful day today. Commuters were inconvenienced, and some even injured. We are deeply sorry for that.”
Sharing their preliminary findings at a press conference on Wednesday evening, SMRT and LTA said the first train departed Ulu Pandan depot with a software protection feature, but this was “inadvertently removed” when it passed a faulty signalling circuit.
When it arrived at Joo Koon at 8.18am, all passengers were detrained due to an anomaly in the train signalling system, except for one SMRT staff member on board.
At 8.19am, the second train carrying more than 500 passengers arrived but stopped at the correct safe stopping distance, said LTA and SMRT. However, a minute later, the second train moved towards the first train and hit it.
Among the 28 people hurt were 26 commuters, and one SMRT employee each on board the first and second trains.
Thales, the company which is supplying the new signalling system for the North-South and East-West lines, said it had not encountered a glitch similar to Wednesday’s incident previously.
Said Mr Khaw after the press conference: “Thales is confident of their system but I advised the team, let’s play doubly safe, where safety is involved, that’s why I want them to suspend the Tuas West Extension tomorrow, so we have a whole day to do a thorough check before we resume the Tuas West Extension.”
Asked if a committee of inquiry will be convened to look into this, Mr Khaw said to let the investigation take its course.
continue reading here :
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapor...ain-misjudging
You still don’t want to set up a committee of inquiry ? Why is that so ? PAP always so good to set up committees for other issues why not this one ? Have you got something to hide ?
How are you going to answer to those who got inconvenienced and injured in this incident ?
Khaw Boon Wan apologises to commuters affected by train collision
By Monica Kotwani @MKotwaniCNA
15 Nov 2017 08:02PM (Updated: 15 Nov 2017 08:10PM)
SINGAPORE: Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan apologised to commuters for Wednesday’s (Nov 15) incident in which 28 people were sustained various injuries.
Speaking to reporters after a joint press conference in which the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and SMRT sought to explain its preliminary findings on the contact between two trains, Mr Khaw said he was as upset as commuters.
“It’s an awful day,” Mr Khaw said.
“Commuters were inconvenienced and some were even injured. So we are deeply sorry for that. Those who were injured and are in hospitals, the Second Minister (for Transport), Ng Chee Meng as well as Senior Minister of State for Transport, Dr Lam (Pin Min) visited all of them. They have been most understanding and we are deeply grateful.”
On whether there would be a Committee of Inquiry to get to the bottom of the incident, Mr Khaw said this could be determined as the investigation progresses. He said if the facts surrounding the incident are clear, there would be no need to have one.
He also said he advised SMRT and LTA to suspend train service from Joo Koon to Tuas Link on Thursday, for system provider Thales to conduct a thorough check.
“This is the first major incident involving the new signalling system,” Mr Khaw said.
“Thales is confident of the system and I advised the team, ‘lets play doubly safe’- safety is involved. That’s why I advised them to suspend the Tuas West Extension (operations) tomorrow. Then we have a whole day to do a thorough check before we resume the Tuas West extension.”
INJURIES AND COMPENSATION
During the press conference, LTA and SMRT provided more details on injuries sustained by commuters who were on the second train when it made contact with the first one on the platform.
LTA’s Deputy Chief Executive of Infrastructure and Development, Chua Chong Kheng said most of the injured commuters were treated for injuries such as knocks, falls and bruises.
Mr Chua said one had a face injury and a broken tooth, while others sustained facial injuries when they hit the grab bars during the impact.
Read more at
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/...-train-9409630
Mr Khaw should resign and take accountability and responsibility . This clearly showed that Singapore mrt system is
NOT SAFE
. Still want to vote for PAP ?
SMRT train collision due to ‘inadvertent’ removal of software protection feature
15 Nov 2017 08:00PM (Updated: 15 Nov 2017 08:31PM)
SINGAPORE: The “inadvertent” disabling of a software protection feature has been identified by the authorities as the reason for an SMRT train hitting another, stalled train at Joo Koon station on Wednesday morning (Nov 15).
Twenty-eight people were injured after a train “moved forward unexpectedly” and “came into contact” with another stationary one in front of it, according to earlier statements from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and SMRT.
At a joint press conference held later Wednesday, LTA deputy chief executive of infrastructure and development Chua Chong Kheng said preliminary findings indicated that the first train - in front - departed Ulu Pandan with a software protection feature which was “inadvertently removed” when it passed a faulty signaling circuit.
“This train then arrived at Joo Koon station without the feature,” said Mr Chua. “This resulted in it giving off a train profile on the new signaling system of a three-car train instead of a six-car train.”
“As a result, the second train (behind) detected the first train as a three-car train and misjudged the distance between the two, causing a collision.”
Mr Chua said that as a precaution, operations from Joo Koon to Tuas Link will be suspended for the entire day on Nov 16 while assurance checks are conducted with signaling contractor Thales.
Bus bridging will be deployed for the affected stretch for the duration of the suspension.
Trains will also go through an additional layer of control measures and manual checks before they are deployed.
These include instructing drivers to be more alert and vigilant, even when their trains are in automated mode, said Mr Alvin Kek, SMRT Trains’ senior vice president of rail operations for the North-South and East-West Lines (NSEWL).
He said the rail operator would also increase the timed separation of trains arriving at NSEWL stations - up to between 2.5 and three minutes from the present two - until they were satisfied with findings from the ongoing investigation.
“SITUATION UNSATISFACTORY”
Expanding on his use of the word “inadvertent”, Mr Chua said there was no indication that the removal of the software protection feature was due to human action.
“The new trackside signaling circuit is still a work-in-progress and as the train passed by, we observed this (software protection) feature got removed,” he said, adding that a thorough investigation was being conducted to get to the root cause.
Mr Chua said that when the first train stalled at the station - due to an anomaly in the train signalling system - station staff boarded the train to run checks, and safety protocol at the station closed down the track to “physically protect” another train from coming in.
Read more at
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/...ftware-9408766
This is because your train frequencies travels so close to each other during peak hour .
517 passengers on the moving train in Joo Koon collision
An MRT train collided with a stationary train at Joo Koon station during the morning rush hour on Nov 15, 2017.
15 Nov 2017 08:00PM (Updated: 15 Nov 2017 08:25PM)
SINGAPORE: A total of 517 passengers were on a train travelling at 16km/hour when it collided with a stationary train at Joo Koon MRT station on Wednesday (Nov 15) morning, SMRT said in a joint press conference with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) on Wednesday evening.
Most of the passengers injured in the incident suffered bruises from knocks and falls, which occurred after a software protection feature was inadvertently disabled, said Mr Chua Chong Kheng, Deputy Chief Executive, Infrastructure and Development, LTA.
The train captain was one of the injured, said Mr Alvin Kek, Senior Vice President of Rail Operations (NSEWL) at SMRT Trains.
At least one passenger fainted because of low blood sugar, while another passenger suffered a face injury and a broken tooth.
Home care teams are following up with the passengers, including on medical expenses, said Mr Kek.
Passengers who did not seek treatment immediately after the collision can still submit their outpatient claims, said Mr Kek, adding that SMRT will look at an applicant’s travel record to verify their claims.
Twenty-eight people were injured after an SMRT train collided with a stationary train at Joo Koon station at 8.20am on Wednesday morning.
Three patients remain warded for observation - two at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital and one at National University Hospital. In all, 22 patients received treatment and were discharged, one declined treatment and returned home, two are still being treated.
Read more at
Train service between Joo Koon, Tuas Link stations to be suspended on Thursday
PUBLISHED 1 HOUR AGO
Maria Almenoar Assistant News Editor
SINGAPORE - Train service between Joo Koon and Tuas Link stations will be suspended on Thursday (Nov 16) so that the authorities can carry out investigations.
Bus bridging services will be provided for affected passengers.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said that trains on the North-South and East-West lines will also run at slower intervals of between 2½ minutes and three minutes, compared with the current two minutes, as an interim safety precaution.
These measures come after an SMRT train collided with another train at Joo Koon station on Wednesday morning, leaving at least 28 passengers injured.
Preliminary investigations found that a glitch in the new communications-based train control system wiped out a safety software feature when the first train passed a faulty circuit.
The company which provided the signalling system, Thales, said this was the first time such an incident had happened.
“On record, we are one of the safest… we have never had a collision,” said Thales’ Mr Peter Tawn.
Mr Tawn added that the company may look at increasing the safety factor, or the buffer distance, between trains. This currently ranges from about 10m to 50m.
In Wednesday’s incident, the trains had adhered to a safety buffer of 10.7m before the collision.
SMRT’s senior vice-president of rail operations for the North-South and East-West lines, Mr Alvin Kek, said the company was ensuring that all drivers did extra checks and had controls in place even if the train was driven in automatic mode.
continue reading here :
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapor...ed-on-thursday
I think it would be better if all commuters seek alternative mode of transportation . SMRT does not seemed to travel on . Can commuters sue SMRT or not ???
Train collision on East-West Line and massive congestion on Circle Line erupt one day after Khaw says: “Not every ride is perfect.”
November 15, 2017
25 individuals were injured in a train collision due to a “train fault” at Joo Koon station on the East-West Line today. In the first such train collision in about 24 years, since 1993, a train heading in the direction of Tuas Link station stalled at Joo Koon station at 8.18am.
This is according to a joint statement by SMRT and Land Transport Authority (LTA) which revealed that a second train stopped behind the first faulty train, one minute later: “At 8.20am, the second train moved forward unexpectedly, and came into contact with the first train.”
While train services on the East-West line were disrupted, 23 passengers and two SMRT staff suffered “light to moderate injuries” – from sprains, head and back injuries to limb fractures and joint dislocations – and were conveyed to Ng Teng Fong Hospital and National University Hospital.
Meanwhile, massive congestion erupted on the Circle Line after train services were disrupted due to a “signalling fault.”
While the fault was fixed after two hours, commuters were still bogged down by massive crowds that led to extended travelling time for commuters, delaying them by hours.
The separate faults on the East-West Line and the Circle Line today come just one day after the North-South Line experienced service disruptions yesterday.
The breakdowns today also come one day after Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said on Facebook, “not every ride is perfect, but almost all rides get us to where we want to be safely and smoothly.”:
continue reading here :
Joo Koon collision: Signal failure hits confidence
Christopher Tan
Senior Transport Correspondent
PUBLISHED 3 HOURS AGO
The word “ponding” comes to mind. It was used by national water agency PUB to describe massive floods which hit Singapore in December 2011.
Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, then Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, took issue with that in Parliament the following month.
“PUB should not have used the word ‘ponding’. As far as I am concerned, I call a spade a spade. A flood is a flood,” he said, echoing public sentiment.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) and rail operator SMRT described yesterday’s collision between two trains in Joo Koon station as an incident where one train had “come into contact” with another train, which conjures the imagery of a nudge.
SMRT repeated the same phrase on its Facebook page.
“This morning at 8.18am, a train heading in the direction of Tuas Link station stalled at Joo Koon station. At 8.19am, a second train stopped behind the first faulty train. At 8.20am, the second train moved forward unexpectedly, and came into contact with the first train.”
It was only at 7.42pm that an updated statement by the LTA described the incident as a “collision”.
Their earlier reluctance to call a spade a spade severely underplays the seriousness of an accident which left 29 people with injuries.
First and foremost, trains are not supposed to collide, or even come into contact with each other (unless one train was used to push out another disabled one, as has often been the case lately).
That is what the signalling system is for. It keeps a safe distance between trains, acting like an invisible, impenetrable barrier between locomotives.
No metro system can operate without a reliable signalling system, which is actually the eyes of the network.
This is why when trains sense there is something amiss with the signalling system, or there is some interference, they will activate their emergency brakes. It is safety protocol - to be safe first rather than sorry later.
continue reading here :