SINGAPORE—A Singapore mass transit train collided early on Wednesday, Nov. 15 with another at a station, injuring 25 people, authorities said, the latest incident involving the city-state’s railways.
Transit operator SMRT said 23 passengers and two staff suffered light to moderate injuries and have been taken to hospital.
Joo Koon train incident: 23 passengers and 2 SMRT staff sustained light to moderate injuries, SMRT and LTA investigating https://t.co/kYQmw1f15X pic.twitter.com/I4Fx9YJxpz
— The Straits Times (@STcom) November 15, 2017
The incident took place at 8:20 AM local time, SMRT said in a statement. It said a faulty west-bound train had stalled at Joo Koon station on the system’s East-West line at 8:18 AM. A second train stopped behind the faulty train at the station at 8:19 AM but moved forward unexpectedly a minute later, coming into contact with the stationary train.
A photograph posted on the Straits Times website showed two trains stopped and in contact but with no major damage apparent.
Lights on one of the trains involved in #JooKoon incident have turned on; am told by SMRT staff that no filming is allowed https://t.co/GNoukKCgRn pic.twitter.com/T1fzhFGoG1
— Aqil Haziq Mahmud (@AqilHaziqCNA) November 15, 2017
MRT collision at Joo Koon station: A timeline of events https://t.co/ww7KGRaDEQ pic.twitter.com/CFcYJYo8XJ
— Channel NewsAsia (@ChannelNewsAsia) November 15, 2017
Earlier, the Singapore Civil Defence Force said in a Twitter post that it had been alerted to an incident at the station at 8:33 a.m.
The collision comes as the country grapples with recent service disruptions on its mass rapid transit system, including a partial suspension of services during an October weekend due to flooding in a tunnel following heavy rains.
Disruptions, flooding, fake work records: How systemic are SMRT's cultural issues? https://t.co/jv4Qq5mgWS pic.twitter.com/2wnwkcpYjU
— The Straits Times (@STcom) November 5, 2017
The mishaps led to a rare public apology by top transit executives.
The densely-populated city-state is highly dependent on public transport. It is one of the world’s most expensive places to own a vehicle and recently announced that it will not allow any net growth in its car population from February next year.
By Jack Kim and Aradhana Aravindan
