Three major incidents

MARCH 22, 2016 ST FILE & READER'S PHOTOS
OCT 7, 2017 ST FILE & READER'S PHOTOS
Nov 15, 2017 ST FILE & READER'S PHOTOS

MARCH 22, 2016

Two SMRT trainees - Mr Nasrulhudin Najumudin, 26, and Mr Muhammad Asyraf Ahmad Buhari, 24 - died after a train hit them near Pasir Ris MRT station. The two had been part of a 15-member team sent to check an apparent equipment fault on the tracks. It was later found that safety protocols which would have prevented the accident were not in place.

In September last year, former SMRT control operations director Teo Wee Kiat, 41, was fined $55,000 for failing to ensure that safety measures were implemented. And in March this year, former SMRT engineer Lim Say Heng, 48 - who led the team on to the tracks - was jailed for four weeks for causing death by negligence.


OCT 7, 2017

Flooding in the tunnels between the Braddell and Bishan MRT stations shut down a large section of the North-South Line for 141/2 hours, affecting 231,000 commuters.

It was later found that the staff responsible for the maintenance of the flood prevention system had falsified maintenance records, and signed off on work that was not done.

The operator gave its employees an "amnesty period" and asked them to own up to any wrongdoing without penalty, before a wide-scale audit was launched.

SMRT sacked eight workers, demoted one and took disciplinary action against another two in connection with the incident.


Nov 15, 2017

Two trains collided on the west-bound tracks at Joo Koon MRT station, injuring 38 commuters.

Incompatibility between the new signalling system, in use on the Tuas West extension, and the older system in place on the rest of the East-West Line was found to be at fault. This could not have been anticipated by SMRT, said LTA. Signalling system supplier Thales took full responsibility for the accident.

Train service between the Joo Koon and Gul Circle stations was suspended for seven months following the incident.The train service was resumed only when the entire line transitioned to the new signalling system.

Zhaki Abdullah

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on July 21, 2018, with the headline Three major incidents. Subscribe