SINGAPORE – An official probe is under way into safety measures and processes concerning responses to incidents, after a man fell onto the LRT tracks in Bukit Panjang and died.
In a media reply late on May 21, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said its investigation will “look into the adequacy and appropriateness of safety measures and incident response processes”.
This follows the death of Mr Loh Hee Chen on early May 18, after the 68-year-old man fell in front of an oncoming train on the Bukit Panjang LRT Line. The resulting disruption between the Senja and Bukit Panjang stations lasted for about four hours.
The incident is also under police investigation.
“Based on investigation findings, further improvements will be made as needed to improve commuter safety,” an LTA spokesperson said.
According to Chinese-language media reports, following Mr Loh’s death his family members had raised concerns about the safety of LRT platforms, including the gaps between the platform barriers and the efficacy of obstacle detection systems on the unmanned LRT trains.
In its media reply, LTA said that along with the rail operators, it recognises the risk of falls onto MRT and LRT tracks.
It pointed out that all underground stations have full-height platform screen doors, while the installation of half-height platform screen doors started in 2009 for above-ground stations on the East-West and North-South Lines.
