Commuters on the train in June 2022. The injured traveller was taken to hospital in a conscious state. - PHOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO
SINGAPORE/KUALA LUMPUR: A passenger who fell onto the railway track at the Woodlands train checkpoint in Singapore at 5.35 am on Wednesday was sent to a nearby hospital for medical examination and treatment.
Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB), in a statement ton Saturday (July 8), said the passenger was promptly rescued by KTMB crew members and officers from the Singapore Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA).
"Our investigation revealed that the incident occurred when the passenger attempted to disembark from the Tebrau Shuttle train before it came to a complete stop.
"As a safety precaution, all passengers should remain seated until the train comes to a complete stop. KTMB regrets the incident. Passenger safety is always our top priority. We will continue to work diligently to improve our services and to ensure a safe and pleasant journey for all passengers,” it said.
KTMB also advised passengers to pay attention to and comply with safety notices displayed at each train entrance and station.
According to KTMB, the Tebrau Shuttle train coaches are designed and built in full compliance with safety standards.
Each coach is equipped with side swing doors that can be manually opened or locked from the inside as a safety feature for passengers to exit the coaches in case of emergencies, it said.
Meanwhile, The Straits Times reported that responding to media queries, an Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) spokesman said the passenger, a woman, tripped and fell into the gap between the platform and the train at about 5.35am on Wednesday, and suffered injuries to the knee and left elbow.
An ICA officer, who was on duty conducting checks on the train, saw what happened and pulled her up from the train tracks with the help of several travellers.
The ICA spokesman said the design of the Keretapi Tanah Melayu (KTM) train made it possible for passengers to open the doors from inside the carriage and disembark onto the platform before the train came to a stop.
She said: “ICA will be bringing this matter up to the train operator so that the necessary safeguards could be put in place. We would like to remind travellers to disembark from the train only after it comes to a complete stop, for their own safety.”
The injured traveller was taken to hospital in a conscious state.
Fellow traveller Erene Hew, who put up a Facebook post on the incident, claimed the woman was among those who were rushing to get to the checkpoint ahead of other people.
In June, the clearance time at Woodlands Train Checkpoint for passengers from each train was cut by half to 15 minutes with the introduction of 10 automated immigration kiosks.
More than 30 train trips, and nearly 10,000 passengers, are cleared at the checkpoint daily during peak travel periods. - Bernama/The Straits Times
