I was in an MRT train travelling from HarbourFront MRT station that stopped at Outram Park MRT station at 4.30pm. The train was packed with people and I was following the crowd to exit. The process slowed down because there was a woman with a pram pushing her way through the crowd. After she exited, I was shocked to see the MRT doors closing.

There was a man in the doorway when the doors closed on him. It was lucky he responded quickly and managed to push the doors open with both hands and retracted himself into the train.

The doors then shut tight and the train moved off, leaving a few of us shocked and stranded in the train unable to exit, while others outside the train were unable to board. It left my friend outside and me in the train. I had no choice but to travel one more station to get off and take the next train back to Outram Park.

How can a world-class MRT system have such poor safety measures? Even a simple lift door will open automatically if it hits something on closing. Yet, MRT doors can apparently not sense anything.

Had it been the pram that crossed the doorway when it slammed shut, I cannot imagine what would have happened to the baby. Worse, the driver in his cabin is unable to see what is happening and respond. It all happened too quickly for anyone to press the emergency button and stop the train.

It also baffles me why the system is programmed to announce closing of doors without regard to the size of the crowd. Obviously, the announcement is not sufficient for people to exit, let alone for others to board. It is dangerous for doors to be programmed to close within a specified time after the announcement, regardless of the crowd size.

With Chinese New Year around the corner, I hope the authorities will review the safety measures to ensure no one is hurt by doors closing on them. Some MRT stations like Chinatown are always packed with shoppers, young and old. It would be disastrous if someone is injured in this way.

Lee Pai Ping (Ms)