SINGAPORE: “The impact was very big … and everybody flew,” recounted a female passenger who was on board the train that hit a stationary one at Joo Koon Mrt station on Wednesday morning (Nov 15).

MRT collision at Joo Koon station: A timeline of events

The passenger, who asked to remain anonymous, told Channel NewsAsia in a phone interview that she got on the train at Choa Chu Kang station at 7.30am and that it was a smooth ride all the way to Boon Lay station, when the train started and stopped.

At 8.20am, she said the train stopped at Joo Koon station and there was an announcement saying there was a track fault but, five minutes later, the train suddenly moved and hit the stationary train in front.

“The train carriage was quite packed, and when the train hit the stationary train, everybody flew,” she said.

“A young lady fell on me, and my left knee hit the train floor hard,” the passenger said. She added that others were also affected, and noticed that one woman nearby “felt giddy and someone applied Axe (brand medical) oil for her”, while an SMRT employee on the train also “injured his wrist”. 

A total of 28 people – including two SMRT staff – were injured in the incident, according to the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and SMRT. Twenty-five were taken to Ng Teng Fong Hospital and National University Hospital for treatment, while another three passengers sought treatment by themselves. 

A spokesman from Ng Teng Fong Hospital said among the 10 injured who were at the hospital, two were assessed to have sustained injuries under the P2 category or “major emergencies” such as limb fractures and joint dislocation. Another eight sustained minor injuries and were assessed to be under the P3 category, which includes sprains and minor head injuries.

Following the collision, the female passenger said there was no information given and it was only after 10 minutes that an emergency announcement was heard telling passengers to head to the front of the train and exit via the driver’s door. 

CAN I CLAIM FOR MEDICAL TREATMENT?

After passengers in the affected trains disembarked, no SMRT staff stepped forward to help, the passenger said. 

“When I left the train, there was no one there to help,” she replied, when asked if there were people to check on commuters’ wellbeing. “I was limping all the way.”

She added that there were only announcements for free bus services, and at the control station, “there was a long queue” as staff issued chits for the delay. As she did not want to wait, and had to get to work at Joo Koon, she decided to just leave. She reached office at 9.45am – more than two hours after she started her journey.

However, the passenger said that her left knee is now “very swollen and cramped”, but she is not sure if she can claim compensation for medical treatment, asking this reporter what her options are.

No SMRT staff asked her if she wanted to go to the hospital, the passenger reiterated, adding that her boss advised her to take photos of her injury and send it to SMRT. She plans to see a doctor after work.

“It was a very, very bad experience for me,” the passenger shared. “If this happened yesterday, when there was heavy rain, I can still understand. But today … 

“I am very traumatised.”

SINGAPORE: An SMRT train collided with a stationary train at Joo Koon MRT station on Wednesday (Nov 15) during the morning rush hour. A total of 25 people – 23 passengers and two SMRT staff – have been taken to hospital. 

The incident led to a delay along the East-West Line – one of two faults which hit Singapore’s train system on Wednesday morning. 

Here’s a timeline of events: 

8.18am: A train heading in the direction of Tuas Link station stalled at Joo Koon station. 

8.19am: A second train stopped behind the first faulty train. A minute later, the second train “moved forward unexpectedly” and collided with the first train. 

8.25am: SMRT advised commuters via Twitter that there will be a 20-minute delay along the East-West Line between Jurong East and Joo Koon stations due to a train fault at Joo Koon station. 

8.26am: Facebook user Mei Anne said she was on a train that collided with the stationary one, and was hurt in the incident. 

8.33am: SCDF said it was alerted to an incident near Joo Koon MRT station.

8.37am: SMRT revised its announcement, informing commuters travelling between Jurong East and Tuas Link stations that their commute will be extended by 30 minutes.

9.26am: The train operator said the 30-minute delay affected commuters travelling between Queenstown and Tuas Link stations. 

9.58am: Passengers travelling between Jurong East and Tuas Link stations can expect a 15-minute delay, said SMRT. 

10.31am: In another update on Twitter, SMRT asked those travelling between Boon Lay and Tuas Link stations to expect an extra 10 minutes during their commute. 

10.42am: SCDF issued a statement on Facebook, saying 23 passengers have been taken to hospital – most of them with minor injuries.

11.05am: The platform for trains travelling towards Tuas Link was partially cordoned off.

11.12am: SMRT and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) issued a joint statement confirming the incident, saying they are investigating. They added that 23 passengers and two SMRT staff sustained “light to moderate” injuries and were taken to Ng Teng Fong Hospital, as well as National University Hospital. 

Noon: The trains were still on the platform. Train services were slow as the platform for trains travelling towards Tuas Link was cordoned off. 

12.29pm: More than 15 SMRT staff wearing bright orange vests were seen on the platform near the affected trains. 

SINGAPORE: Tenty-five people were injured after an SMRT train collided with a stationary train at Joo Koon station at 8.20am on Wednesday morning (Nov 15), the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and SMRT said.

In its first tweet at 8.25am, SMRT said that a “train fault” happened at Joo Koon station. 

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) later said it was alerted to the incident at 8.33am. 

In a joint statement issued at 11.12am, SMRT and LTA said a train heading in the direction of Tuas Link station stalled at Joo Koon station at 8.18am.

A minute later, a second train stopped behind the first faulty train, the statement added.

“At 8.20am, the second train moved forward unexpectedly, and came into contact with the first train,” the statement said. 

SMRT and LTA added that they are investigating the incident.

Twenty-three passengers and two SMRT staff sustained “light to moderate injuries”, and were taken to Ng Teng Fong Hospital and National University Hospital (NUH).

Channel NewsAsia understands that 10 people were taken to Ng Teng Fong Hospital and 15 were at NUH.

A spokesman from Ng Teng Fong Hospital said among the 10 injured at the hospital, two were assessed to have sustained injuries under the P2 category or “major emergencies” such as limb fractures and joint dislocation.

Another eight sustained minor injuries and were assessed to be under the P3 category, which includes sprains and minor head injuries.

Facebook user Mei Anne wrote that she was a passenger on one of the trains, and hurt her back as a result of the collision. 

A platform at Joo Koon MRT station was cordoned off with police tape following the incident. At least 10 emergency vehicles were seen outside the station.

LAST MRT TRAIN COLLISION WAS IN 1993

The last time that an MRT train collision happened in Singapore was more than two decades ago. That incident, a front-to-back collision between two trains at Clementi station on Aug 5, 1993, resulted in 156 injured commuters.

An independent inquiry panel found that the accident was caused by a 50L oil spill from a maintenance locomotive which had been carrying out maintenance work at about 5am on the day of the accident.

Following the findings, SMRT revised its operating procedures to require staff to inspect the platform tracks for oil, and in the event of an oil spill, the train at the station preceding the spill will not move off until the train ahead has left the station.