SMRT to step up pest control measures, confirms no wider infestation after rat spotted in train
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SMRT also reminded passengers not to eat or drink on trains and in stations.
PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM SGFOLLOWSALL/INSTAGRAM
SINGAPORE – Pest control measures will be intensified at train stations and depots, said SMRT after a video of a rat on an East-West Line train circulated online over the weekend.
The train operator also reminded passengers not to eat or drink on trains and in stations, as food scraps could attract rats and other pests.
In response to media queries, SMRT Trains president Lam Sheau Kai said on May 24: “Rats may occasionally enter trains through station platforms, track areas, undercarriage gaps, or gangways between train cars.”
He added that as part of SMRT’s regular maintenance, trains are thoroughly cleaned daily when they return to the depot at the end of passenger service.
In a Facebook post on May 25 about the rat sighting, SMRT said the rodent appeared to have entered Lakeside station after emerging from nearby bushes and running through the station’s fare gates.
“Unfortunately, it also travelled without paying the correct fare,” the public transport operator quipped.
It added that it had traced the rat’s likely path as part of its investigations, and confirmed there was no wider infestation.
“We would also like to thank the two men in black who guided our uninvited ‘commuter’ off the train heroically,” said SMRT.
In a video circulating on multiple social media platforms, a rat can be seen scurrying back and forth under train cabin seats as passengers lift their feet to avoid the rodent.
Two people can be seen attempting to corner the rat.
They eventually guide the rodent out of the cabin when train doors open at a station.
