SINGAPORE - Malaysian rail operator KTM has been urged to put in safeguards after travellers prised open the doors of a moving train, resulting in a woman falling onto the tracks at Woodlands Train Checkpoint.

Responding to media queries, an Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) spokesman said the woman tripped and fell into the gap between the platform and the train at about 5.35am on Wednesday, and suffered injuries to the knee and left elbow.

An ICA officer, who was on duty conducting checks on the train, saw what happened and pulled her up from the train tracks with the help of several travellers.

The ICA spokesman said the design of the Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) train made it possible for passengers to open the doors from inside the carriage and disembark onto the platform before the train came to a stop.

She said: “ICA will be bringing this matter up to the train operator so that the necessary safeguards could be put in place. We would like to remind travellers to disembark from the train only after it comes to a complete stop, for their own safety.”

The injured traveller was taken to hospital in a conscious state.

Fellow traveller Erene Hew, who put up a Facebook post on the incident, claimed the woman was among those who were rushing to get to the checkpoint ahead of other people.

In June, the clearance time at Woodlands Train Checkpoint for passengers from each train was cut by half to 15 minutes with the introduction of 10 automated immigration kiosks.

More than 30 train trips, and nearly 10,000 passengers, are cleared at the checkpoint daily during peak travel periods.

The Straits Times has contacted KTM for comment.