Pasir Ris rail accident: Difference between revisions
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SMRT Trains and one member of SMRT management were then charged for violating the [[Workplace Safety and Health Act]] that led to this accident, and were fined $400,000 and $55,000 respectively.<ref name="fine-director" /> |
SMRT Trains and one member of SMRT management were then charged for violating the [[Workplace Safety and Health Act]] that led to this accident, and were fined $400,000 and $55,000 respectively.<ref name="fine-director" /> |
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In July 2018, SMRT was fined [[Singapore dollar|S$]]1.9 million by the LTA for this incident and the [[Bishan tunnel flooding|tunnel flooding incident]] at [[Bishan MRT station|Bishan MRT Station]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=LTA fines SMRT S$1.9m for fatal rail accident, tunnel flooding incident |url=https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/lta-fines-smrt-s19m-fatal-rail-accident-tunnel-flooding-incident |access-date=2023-10-02 |website=TODAY |language=en}}</ref> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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Revision as of 10:50, 2 October 2023
| Pasir Ris rail accident | |
|---|---|
 Tracks leading out of Pasir Ris station, where the accident took place. The accident occurred at track switch in the distance. | |
| Details | |
| Date | 22 March 2016 |
| Location | Near Pasir Ris MRT station |
| Country | Singapore |
| Line | East West MRT Line |
| Operator | SMRT Trains |
| Incident type | Collision with track workers on track |
| Cause | Human error, failure to comply with safety procedures[1] |
| Statistics | |
| Trains | 1 Kawasaki Heavy Industries C151 |
| Deaths | 2 (SMRT staff) |
| Injured | 0 |
The Pasir Ris rail accident was a train accident that occurred on 22 March 2016, at the track switch near Pasir Ris MRT station in Pasir Ris, Singapore, on the East-West MRT Line. A C151 train struck two SMRT Trains trainee track workers at around 60 km/h, resulting in their deaths. The two deceased workers were working on a track point machine at that time as part of a team of 15 track personnel. This incident was "the worst train accident" in Singapore MRT's history.[2][3]
SMRT Trains and one member of SMRT management were charged for violating the Workplace Safety and Health Act that led to this accident, and were fined $400,000 and $55,000 respectively. The SMRT engineer who led the track team at the scene of the accident was dismissed from SMRT Trains and charged with negligence causing death under the Penal Code. The SMRT engineer was thus jailed for four weeks.
Incident
The incident occurred at 11:10 a.m. on 22 March 2016, when a team of 15 track personnel was deployed to a track switch near Pasir Ris MRT station to investigate a high voltage alarm that indicated a possible track point fault.[4] The team of 15 track workers walked in a single file towards the track point equipment to investigate the problem, and was granted track access. The two deceased workers, Nasrulhudin Majumudin and Muhammad Asyraf Ahmad Buhari, were second and third in the team walking as a file on the sidewalk near the third rail.[4] Both were trainees in SMRT Trains.[4] No speed restriction or ATC-code restriction was imposed on that section of track and there was no railway watchman to warn train captains of the presence of workers on track.[1][3] The train involved, trainset 073/074 (a Kawasaki Heavy Industries C151), was operated in automatic mode under Westinghouse ATC and maintained a speed of 60 km/h.[1]
The two deceased personnel, one supervisor, and at least one more track worker crossed over the third rail and onto the track to access the signaling equipment.[4] A senior officer in the team then noticed the train and yelled "Train is coming! The train is coming!".[4] Members of the team tried to jump back into the sidewalk to seek refuge. The train driver noticed the track workers and applied the emergency brakes. However, the train struck both Nasrulhudin and Muhammad Asyraf.[4] Nasrulhudin was crushed under the train, while Muhammad Asyraf was impacted by the train.[4] Both personnel suffered multiple injuries and were pronounced dead at the scene.[5] Service between Tanah Merah and Pasir Ris was suspended as a result for 2.5 hours, affecting 10,000 commuters.[5]
Investigation
Investigations by SMRT arevealed that there was no request to impose the safety code before the inspection team went on track to investigate the high voltage alarm.[6] The engineer did not liaise with the duty station manager on when to impose the safety code and hence did not impose the safety code before the team was supposed to leave the station platform.[6] The inspection team walked to the work site instead of taking a designated train to send them there.[6]
A standard printed sign to warn train drivers that there are works in progress was not displayed but a handwritten sign was displayed with no indication of personnel working on track ahead.[6]
Aftermath
After an internal investigation, SMRT dismissed both the engineer who led the track team and the train driver involved at the scene of the accident.[7][8] The sacking of both employees attracted online controversy, with Singaporeans on social media questioning whether it was fair to dismiss the train driver.[9]
The engineer who led the inspection team was charged with negligence causing death under the Penal Code[10] and was subsequently jailed for four weeks.[11]
SMRT Trains and one member of SMRT management were then charged for violating the Workplace Safety and Health Act that led to this accident, and were fined $400,000 and $55,000 respectively.[2]
In July 2018, SMRT was fined S$1.9 million by the LTA for this incident and the tunnel flooding incident at Bishan MRT Station.[12]
References
- ^ a b c Tan, Christopher (26 April 2016). "Safety lapses cause of fatal accident: SMRT". Straits Times. Archived from the original on 17 November 2017. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
- ^ a b Vanessa, Paige (29 September 2017). "SMRT Trains director fined S$55,000 for fatal Pasir Ris track accident". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 17 November 2017. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
- ^ a b Paige, Vanessa (28 February 2017). "SMRT fined S$400,000 for safety lapses leading to fatal accident near Pasir Ris station". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 17 November 2017. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g Seow, Bei Yi (24 March 2016). "SMRT track accident at Pasir Ris: Trainee barely escaped as best friend was killed". Straits Times. Archived from the original on 17 November 2017. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
- ^ a b "2 SMRT staff dead in accident near Pasir Ris station". Channel NewsAsia. 22 March 2016. Archived from the original on 5 November 2017. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
- ^ a b c d Auto, Hermes (2018-03-12). "Engineer who led SMRT trainees onto tracks in 2016 fatal rail accident jailed for 4 weeks | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Retrieved 2022-11-01.
- ^ "2 SMRT staff, including train driver, sacked over fatal Pasir Ris accident". Channel NewsAsia. 14 September 2016. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
- ^ Chong, Elena (2 December 2016). "SMRT, 2 others charged over fatal track accident". Straits Times. Archived from the original on 22 September 2017. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
- ^ "Online flak for SMRT after sacking of 2 staff involved in Pasir Ris accident". Today (newspaper). 14 September 2016. Archived from the original on 22 November 2017. Retrieved 24 November 2017.
- ^ Ng, Kelly (2 December 2016). "SMRT charged over fatal accident". Today (newspaper). Archived from the original on 17 November 2017. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
- ^ Tan, Tam Mei (12 March 2018). "Engineer who led SMRT trainees onto tracks in 2016 fatal rail accident jailed for 4 weeks". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 8 October 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
- ^ "LTA fines SMRT S$1.9m for fatal rail accident, tunnel flooding incident". TODAY. Retrieved 2023-10-02.
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