SINGAPORE - A section of Ang Mo Kio MRT station was cordoned off after an escalator was seen emitting smoke on Monday afternoon (Feb 5).
Initial investigations showed the smoke could have come from overheated motor bearings in the faulty escalator which had been replaced before the incident occurred, Ms Margaret Teo, SMRT's vice-president of corporate communications, told The Straits Times.
"At around 1.20pm today, our staff detected smoke from an escalator leading towards the underground linkway to AMK Hub," she said. "For the safety of our commuters, all three escalators were turned off and the linkway was closed immediately."
Officers from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) were activated as a precaution. An SMRT maintenance worker was admitted to hospital for smoke inhalation and is in hospital under observation, the transport operator said.
"Further checks will be carried out before the escalator is put back in service," said Ms Teo. "The other two escalators next to the faulty escalator have been turned off pending safety checks."
In the meantime, commuters can use the escalator steps to access the linkway, which was reopened at 6.10pm.
"Station staff will be on hand to guide commuters," said Ms Teo. "The elderly and commuters with special needs are advised to use the lift."
Photos sent to ST show firefighters and policemen at the scene at about 1.45pm.
Facebook user Jas Chua posted a photo of the station filled with smoke and SMRT staff seen directing commuters.
She said that the escalator leading to a walkway to AMK Hub was "full of smoke" and the lift was not working as well.
She added that there was a pungent smell and she found it difficult to breathe.
Ms Teo had said earlier in the day that the train operator is investigating the incident.
"The escalator has been shut down, and the linkway has been closed for commuter safety," she said.
Train services on the North-South Line are not affected, she added.
Secondary school student Clive Chua, 15, told ST that he noticed a "strong rubber smell" when he was at a traffic junction waiting to cross the road to the station.
He described the smell at the station as "intolerable" and saw several people covering their mouths and noses and walking away quickly.
When he got to the station using another route, he quickly boarded the train to head towards his Khatib home. He said that there was less smoke on the platform and in the train.
When ST arrived at the scene at about 2.30pm, officers from the Singapore Civil Defence Force were seen near the escalator.
Undergraduate Gerald Tan, 27, said he was walking in the underpass from Ang Mo Kio Hub to AMK station at about 1.30pm when he smelt a "strong burning motor oil smell" coming from the escalators leading up to the station.
He said there was a commotion of about 50 people at the bottom of the escalator.
"There was a lot of thick smoke coming down from the escalator. I couldn't see anything from the bottom of the escalator," he said, adding that all three escalators and the lift were also not working.
"There was no SMRT staff there, only an announcement saying that there was an emergency and we should remain calm," he said.
An elderly lady was sitting on the floor and complaining that she was dizzy and could not breathe, he said.
Later, an SMRT staff member was seen being wheeled to an ambulance by paramedics.
