Twenty-eight people including two SMRT staff were injured in the Joo Koon train collision today.
As shocking as it sounds, it is not the first collision in Singapore’s transport history.
In 1993, a front-to-back collision happened between two trains at Clementi MRT station (west side again) at 7.50am.
156 commuters were injured due to the impact of the collision.
It was more complicated that having a train pulling up behind a stalled train and hitting the train in front of it.
When it happened in 1993, 50 litres of oil dripped onto the tracks as a damaged rubber ring had broken before the incident.
The staff did not clean up the spill in time and trains using the tracks before the accident were already experiencing braking difficulties.
When the 11th train used its emergency brakes to stop at Clementi, it was slightly delayed as the air pressure in its brakes required a few minutes to recharge before moving off.
They tried to stop the 12th train from entering the station through the automatic braking system but the oil spill made it impossible.
So the two trains ended up in a collision.
Some passengers were hurled against panels and steel railings inside the train while others were stacked on top of each other.
Back to the collision today, among the 10 injured at Ng Teng Fong hospital, two were classified as “major emergencies” such as limb fractures and joint dislocation and severe back pain.
Another eight commuters sustained minor injuries like sprains, headaches and superficial injuries with bleeding.
Experts explained that there is a safeguard for trains to maintain a safe distance from one another. Hence, they believe that it unlikely to be a human error.
When another train is stalled at some distance away, trains have to slow down and emergency brakes are activated.
Experts believe that the second train might have received a faulty signal, asking it to move.
According to affected commuters, the train was moving very slowly after Pioneer MRT station and when it started to reach Joo Koon Circle, there was a loud bang. People who were standing, fell to the ground.
LTA and SMRT are currently investigating the incident.
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