MRT collision: No train service on Thursday between Joo Koon and Tuas Link
PUBLISHED 3 HOURS AGO UPDATED2 MIN AGO
Maria Almenoar Assistant News Editor
Train service between Joo Koon and Tuas Link stations will be suspended today for the authorities to carry out investigations, after two trains collided yesterday.
Bus bridging services will be provided for affected passengers. Commuters should also expect trains on the North-South and East-West lines to arrive at slower intervals.
The current two-minute interval between trains will be slowed down to between 21/2 minutes and three minutes.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said that this was being done as an interim safety precaution after yesterday morning’s collision, which left at least 29 people injured.
“We want to make sure we understand fully what the cause is and that we have the right measures in place. Once we know that, we will be able to revert back to the previous… operations,” LTA’s deputy chief executive for infrastructure and development Chua Chong Kheng said at a press conference yesterday.
Investigations so far 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 French firm which provided the signalling system, Thales, said that this was the first time such an incident had happened.
PRIORITY FOR PASSENGERS’ SAFETY
Our key focus after the incident had happened was primarily the safety and well-being of the passengers. So, we had to put in place our plan to send our Care teams, activate our management, so that the passengers who have sustained injuries can be attended to and taken care of immediately. That was our key priority at that time.
MR ALVIN KEK, SMRT Trains senior vice-president of rail operations (North-South, East-West lines), when asked why it took almost three hours for SMRT and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to issue a statement about the incident.
SAFETY ASSURANCE
This issue does not exist on the North-South Line. We are very confident that the system is very safe.
MR PETER TAWN, French firm Thales’ spokesman, when asked if commuters should be concerned about safety given that the new signalling system is being used on North-South Line now.
“In fact, the CBTC (communications-based train control) is on record as one of the safest systems. We have never actually had a collision,” said Thales representative Peter Tawn.
He added that it was unlikely, but the company has not ruled out increasing the safety factor - or the buffer distance - between trains, and a decision would be made once the investigations are completed.
The current safety factor ranges from about 10m to 50m, and is calculated based on a number of parameters, including the gradient of the track, Mr Tawn explained.
In yesterday’s incident, the trains had adhered to the safety buffer of 10.7m before the train at the back lurched forward and collided with the one at the station platform.
SMRT’s senior vice-president of rail operations for the North-South and East-West lines, Mr Alvin Kek, said that the operator was putting “additional checks and controls in place” as a safety precaution.
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Joo Koon collision: ‘It happened so quickly… It was a really big stop’
PUBLISHED 3 HOURS AGO
Sudden impact threw many off balance; one door later opened to let passengers leave train
Aw Cheng Wei
Tan Tam Mei
Adrian Lim Transport Correspondent
Service coordinator Alexandru Robu, 35, was on his way to work yesterday morning when the train he was on collided with a stationary one in front of it at 8.20am.
“It happened so quickly,” said Mr Robu, who was standing in the carriage closest to the collision. “It was a really big stop, and we heard a loud sound.”
The sudden stop threw him off balance. He tried to break his fall with his hand and landed on the ground. He estimated that 30 people around him also fell.
“Some people fell on top of each other,” said Mr Robu, who is from Moldova in eastern Europe. “Everyone took about one to two minutes to recover.”
An announcement then came on informing commuters that help would be arriving in about 20 minutes.
The plan was to tow the stationary train away before the second train could pull into the platform.
It was then that Mr Robu no-ticed a man on the ground holding his head.
A man being attended to after the collision. A commuter in the second train said that the sudden stop threw him off balance. He estimated that 30 people around him also fell from the impact. PHOTO: MELVIN LAU
“He did not look good,” said Mr Robu. He went over to the man, who started to look unresponsive.
He said: “I tried to keep him engaged by talking to him and making sure that he was okay.”
At this time, some people in the train were calling for an ambulance. Mr Robu pressed the emergency button to ask the driver if the first door could be opened to let the man out for fresh air.
It was starting to get stuffy in the train. “There was no air-con,” Mr Robu said. “People were also getting anxious.”
About 20 minutes later, a second announcement came on to inform passengers that the first door would be opened to let them out.
People left in a proper fashion, guided by SMRT staff and police officers. Mr Robu stayed with the injured man, who was put in a wheelchair once he got out of the train, and made sure he received medical attention.
Mr Samuel Ng, 48, a sports adviser who was getting off another train at about 8.50am, said that he saw people queueing to get out of the second train.
He said: “There was no chaos, no shouting. When I went downstairs, there was also a very long queue at the control station.”
Commuters on the platform said that they heard a dull thud before people started screaming.
Mr Ganeshan Sivalingam, 38, who was waiting at the platform for the train to Tuas Link, said he heard a “bang”.
continue reading here :
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapor...eally-big-stop
It must have been a terrifying experience for the commuters involved . Hope all will recover from this incident .
SMRT staff to help with compensation queries
PUBLISHED 3 HOURS AGO
Maria Almenoar Assistant News Editor
Passengers who were injured in the Joo Koon station train collision may approach staff at any SMRT station to ask about compensation.
Train operator SMRT said it would help any passengers affected even if they were not taken to the hospital immediately by its team.
SMRT said that at about 7.30pm yesterday, Ng Teng Fong General Hospital had admitted an injured passenger as a walk-in patient.
This brought the total number of injured to 29, including two SMRT employees.
The injured were treated at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, where two remain warded for observation, and National University Hospital, where one passenger is still warded.
All injured passengers were on board the same train which had collided with a stationary train. The moving train was carrying 517 people, including its driver.
The injuries included bruises and fractures, with one passenger hitting the grabhold when the train lurched forward. One commuter broke a tooth, while another fainted during the incident.
An assistant station manager, who was on board the stationary train, was also injured after helping passengers alight.
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MRT collision is branded a “blemish” in Singapore’s efficiency and infrastructure by international news outlets
November 16, 2017
What was once a source of national pride has now become a source of national embarrassment, with the MRT collision at Joo Koon station yesterday morning being the latest in a string of service breakdowns that have plagued Singapore’s public transport system and inconvenienced countless commuters in recent years.
Yesterday’s train collision is especially notable since at least 29 people were injured and had to seek medical attention from local hospitals.
The train collision has gained widespread international traction, with several news outlets commenting on the collision – which is the first such incident since 1993 – yesterday.
Bloomberg News did not mince words in its report. The report was re-published in the South China Morning Post, as well:
“The incident is the latest blemish in a city known for its efficiency, tree-lined highways and slick infrastructure. Singapore’s mass transit system has been strained as the population expanded, leading to multiple breakdowns and delays especially in the past six years, symptomatic of a learning curve the city faces as it upgrades infrastructure rapidly to cope with more people.”
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SDP repeats call for MOT Khaw to step down after train collision
Protected November 16th, 2017 | Author: YourSDP
Following the flooding of the train tunnel on 7 October 2017, the SDP called for Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan to step down as it had become clear that he is unable to resolve the problems that plague the SMRT.
The SDP renews our call for Mr Khaw to resign his post following the train collision at Joo Koon station this morning.
The Minister blamed the tunnel-flooding incident on a small and isolated group of maintenance staff of the company, taking disciplinary action against them and cutting their bonuses.
He said yesterday at the Public Transport Workers’ Appreciation Day:
A small group of SMRT workers had negated the good work of other SMRT workers and brought disrepute to other transport workers.
It is obvious that with the train collision this morning, the problems at SMRT is not confined to just a small band of workers. There is systemic failure on the part of the management team which at the apex sits Mr Khaw.
Already under his watch, two maintenance workers were killed in 2016 at the Pasir Ris station because of the breakdown of the safety system. Back then, two SMRT staff were blamed and sacked.
Problems regarding maintenance continued until 7 October when the tunnel flooded. The incident was dangerous and could have jeopardised the physical safety of passengers.
Similarly, the train collision this morning could have resulted in more than just injury to commuters, it could have been deadly.
The leadership at the very top – starting with Mr Khaw – must take responsibility for this latest as well as earlier mishaps. The widespread and persistent malfunctioning of the system is another indication of the poor leadership in our public transport system.
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North East Line train breaks down at Clarke Quay
PUBLISHED 27 MIN AGO
Christopher Tan Senior Transport Correspondent
SINGAPORE – A train on the North East Line broke down at Clarke Quay station towards Punggol at 6.20pm Thursday (Nov 16), the latest in a string of rail faults this week.
Operator SBS Transit pushed out a public alert that journey time will be extended by 10 minutes at 6.20pm, then sent out another tweet at 6.32pm that the additional time will be increased to 15 minutes. It is likely to be significantly longer because a 12-car push-out is underway.
This is when another six-car train is used to push the crippled train out of the way so that normal service can resume.
At 6.42pm, SBS Transit announced that there would be free buses available “at designated bus stops” between Outram Park and Farrer Park stations.
Commuters reported crowds swelling at Serangoon interchange, among other stations.
SBS Transit @SBSTransit_Ltd
16/11, 6.32pm: Due to a train fault at Clarke Quay stn twds Punggol, additional travel time of 15mins is expected in both directions. We are sorry.
2:34 AM - Nov 16, 2017
SBS Transit @SBSTransit_Ltd
16/11, 6.20pm: NEL svc is delayed due to a Train fault at Clarke Quay stn twds Punggol. Additional travel time of abt 10mins is expected in both directions
2:24 AM - Nov 16, 2017
“I started at Buangkok, and it took me 30 minutes to reach Hougang – one station away.”
Mr Chua said he decided to get out of the train at Hougang “to wait it out and to get a quick meal”. He said many others decided to leave the train there too.
The breakdown is the fourth in two days. On Wednesday, all three lines operated by SMRT experienced delays and disruptions.
Service on the East-West Line was tripped up by a two-train collision in Joo Koon station, the Circle Line was affected by what was believed to be a door-related fault. Later in the afternoon, journey time along the North-South line took 40 minutes longer than usual because several trains were pulled out of service.
continue reading here :
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapor...at-clarke-quay
Now also SBS transit got train fault ??? So many train faults . So how Mr Khaw ? Still want to vote for PAP ?
Commuters involved in Joo Koon MRT collision upset as little or no assistance rendered
It could have been handled better.
By Fasiha Nazren | November 16, 2017
By now, everyone knows about the Joo Koon MRT collision that happened on Nov. 15, 2017.
A total of 517 passengers were on the moving train and at least 29 people were reported to have been injured due to the collision.
Khaw Boon Wan apologised and said “it was an awful day”, but the negative sentiments from the affected commuters were not just because of the injuries and inconveniences caused.
Staff were unprepared to handle emergencies
According to a letter submitted to The Online Citizen, one Chen GJ was on the stationary train when the collision happened.
According to him, one foreign worker couldn’t get up due to the impact.
When activating the emergency communication button didn’t expedite assistance being rendered, another commuter decided to alert the driver to the casualty and another SMRT staff came along to check on the foreign worker.
When asked if it was possible to evacuate the injured foreign worker through just one door of the cabin, the SMRT staff said it wouldn’t be possible as all the train doors would open and this could endanger the safety of all passengers.
Only after half an hour later did the driver’s door open and only then was the injured man evacuated.
Lack of assistance reported on mainstream media
Claims of lack of assistance right after the collision have also been reported by Channel News Asia, who spoke to a female passenger who was unnamed:
“The train carriage was quite packed, and when the train hit the stationary train, everybody flew,” she said.
[…]
After passengers in the affected trains disembarked, no SMRT staff stepped forward to help, the passenger said.
“When I left the train, there was no one there to help,” she replied, when asked if there were people to check on commuters’ wellbeing. “I was limping all the way.”
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Joo Koon collision: Tuas West Extension train services suspended until Sunday for further checks
16 Nov 2017 10:05PM (Updated: 16 Nov 2017 11:25PM)
SINGAPORE: A software glitch that resulted in the Joo Koon MRT station train collision arose when the faulty train was “transiting between the old and new signalling systems”, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA) in a statement on Thursday (Nov 16).
Thirty-six people were injured after two trains collided at Joo Koon MRT station on Wednesday, in what Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan described as “an awful day”.
The collision was caused by a software glitch in the East-West Line (EWL) signalling system, authorities had said on Wednesday evening.
Operations on the Tuas West Extension were suspended for the entire day on Thursday for signalling contractor Thales to carry out checks on the new signalling system.
The Tuas West Extension runs on the new signalling system while the rest of the EWL runs on the old one.
Based on these checks, Thales confirmed that the old and new signalling systems were both safe for operation, said LTA.
“The disabling of the software protection feature that resulted in the Nov 15, 2017 train collision arose when the faulty train was transiting between the old and new signalling systems,” the authority said.
Given this finding, LTA and SMRT have decided to “isolate for up to one month” the operations of the Tuas West Extension from the rest of the EWL, LTA added. This will enable further checks to be carried out.
“As we need some time to prepare our commuters and our staff for this arrangement, the suspension of Tuas West Extension will continue till Sunday,” the statement said.
Though train services on the Tuas West Extension between Gul Circle station and Tuas Link station will resume on Monday, this part of the line will still be kept isolated from the rest of the line, which will continue to run on the old signalling system.
Bridging bus services will be available between Joo Koon station and Gul Circle station.
LTA added that 33 buses on Thursday morning had been deployed on the bridging bus service between Joo Koon and Tuas Link MRT stations “at headways of three to five minutes” and that “service was satisfactory”. These bridging bus services will continue to be provided until Sunday evening.
Bus trips were also added to “key trunk services” in Tuas.
LTA and transport operator SMRT will continue to investigate the Joo Koon collision incident together with Thales, the authority added.
“DISTURBED” BY FINDINGS ON SOFTWARE GLITCH: KHAW BOON WAN
In a separate statement on Thursday, Mr Khaw said that he was “disturbed” by the finding that a “critical safety software could be disabled by a defective trackside device”.
Read more at
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/...pended-9413430
I thought Mr Khaw said that they have been testing the new software since early this year ??? Did you conduct safety checks on the new software to see whether your network can accept it or not ? So far at least 70% of your rail disruptions comes from your signalling software. The other big problem is your trains . I wonder why Mr Khaw and the PAP do not want to set up an independent COI to look into all these disruptions once and for all ?
‘This is obviously fake’: SMRT denies claim that CEO Desmond Kuek fired 50% of night crew
16 Nov 2017 11:42PM (Updated: 17 Nov 2017 06:40AM)
SINGAPORE: SMRT on Thursday (Nov 16) refuted accusations that a large number of staff from the night crew were laid off over the years, saying that to the contrary, the team looking after the tracks and track-side infrastructure has nearly doubled over the last seven years.
An online post circulating on social media had alleged that 25 per cent of the Permanent Way team night staff were “fired” under the leadership of Madam Saw Phaik Hwa, who was SMRT CEO from 2002 to 2012.
After Mr Desmond Kuek was appointed SMRT’s CEO, 50 per cent of the night crew staff were laid off, the report said, leaving manpower at 35 per cent.
“This is obviously fake!” SMRT said in a Facebook post on Thursday.
“How would SMRT have been able to complete the change out of all the power rails and 188,000 sleepers if staff count had indeed been cut so drastically?”
SMRT said the Permanent Way team, which is responsible for track and track-side infrastructure, almost doubled under Mr Kuek’s tenure, growing from 206 staff in Dec 2010 to 395 staff in September this year.
Read more at
Train collision: Seven more commuters seek treatment
PUBLISHED 2 HOURS AGO
Total number of those injured rises to 36; one of seven new cases brought in by ambulance
Adrian Lim Transport Correspondent
Tan Tam Mei
Seven more commuters sought treatment yesterday after the train collision at Joo Koon MRT station on Wednesday morning, bringing the total number of those injured in the accident to 36.
Giving an update as of 6pm yesterday, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and train operator SMRT said in a joint statement that there was a new walk-in case at the National University Hospital (NUH), but the patient has since returned home.
At Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (NTFGH), there were five new walk-in cases. The hospital also received another new patient conveyed by ambulance who is currently being treated.
Meanwhile, three commuters who were warded for observation on Wednesday remain in hospital. No details of their conditions were given. Two are at NTFGH, and one is at NUH.
Among the 36 injured, two were SMRT employees who were treated and discharged on Wednesday.
An unprecedented software glitch in the new signalling system of the East-West Line resulted in the collision between two MRT trains at Joo Koon station.
This caused a train on the Joo Koon platform to be mistakenly profiled as a three-car train instead of a six-car one in the system after it passed a faulty circuit.
A second train, which initially stopped at the correct safety distance of 10.7m behind the first one, “misjudged the distance” between itself and the train in front of it a minute later and lurched forward, resulting in a collision.
Passengers on the second train, which was carrying 517 people, were thrown by the impact, with several suffering knocks, fractures and bruises.
One commuter was said to have suffered a face injury with a tooth broken.
Engineer Wang Hai, 38, who kept his balance by grabbing onto a pole, heard people crying and later saw a puddle of vomit in one of the cabins. “I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary, the train was pulling into the station really, really slowly. All of a sudden, we were thrown off our feet,” he said.
continue reading here :
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapor...seek-treatment
Suggest to those who were injured to sue SMRT for full damages . People will be scared to take the mrt trains. With this incident how you expect Singapore to be a car lite society ??? So how Mr Khaw & PAP ???