2 young lives lost

[skyleon]

Train service between Joo Koon, Tuas Link stations to be suspended on Thursday

PUBLISHED 1 HOUR AGO

Maria Almenoar Assistant News Editor


SINGAPORE - Train service between Joo Koon and Tuas Link stations will be suspended on Thursday (Nov 16) so that the authorities can carry out investigations.

Bus bridging services will be provided for affected passengers.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said that trains on the North-South and East-West lines will also run at slower intervals of between 2½ minutes and three minutes, compared with the current two minutes, as an interim safety precaution.

These measures come after an SMRT train collided with another train at Joo Koon station on Wednesday morning, leaving at least 28 passengers injured.

Preliminary investigations found that a glitch in the new communications-based train control system wiped out a safety software feature when the first train passed a faulty circuit.

The company which provided the signalling system, Thales, said this was the first time such an incident had happened.

"On record, we are one of the safest... we have never had a collision," said Thales' Mr Peter Tawn.

Mr Tawn added that the company may look at increasing the safety factor, or the buffer distance, between trains. This currently ranges from about 10m to 50m.

In Wednesday's incident, the trains had adhered to a safety buffer of 10.7m before the collision.

SMRT's senior vice-president of rail operations for the North-South and East-West lines, Mr Alvin Kek, said the company was ensuring that all drivers did extra checks and had controls in place even if the train was driven in automatic mode.


continue reading here : http://www.straitstimes.com/singapor...ed-on-thursday


I think it would be better if all commuters seek alternative mode of transportation . SMRT does not seemed to travel on . Can commuters sue SMRT or not ???

[skyleon]

Train collision on East-West Line and massive congestion on Circle Line erupt one day after Khaw says: “Not every ride is perfect.”

November 15, 2017


25 individuals were injured in a train collision due to a “train fault” at Joo Koon station on the East-West Line today. In the first such train collision in about 24 years, since 1993, a train heading in the direction of Tuas Link station stalled at Joo Koon station at 8.18am.

This is according to a joint statement by SMRT and Land Transport Authority (LTA) which revealed that a second train stopped behind the first faulty train, one minute later: “At 8.20am, the second train moved forward unexpectedly, and came into contact with the first train.”

While train services on the East-West line were disrupted, 23 passengers and two SMRT staff suffered “light to moderate injuries” – from sprains, head and back injuries to limb fractures and joint dislocations – and were conveyed to Ng Teng Fong Hospital and National University Hospital.

Meanwhile, massive congestion erupted on the Circle Line after train services were disrupted due to a “signalling fault.”

While the fault was fixed after two hours, commuters were still bogged down by massive crowds that led to extended travelling time for commuters, delaying them by hours.

The separate faults on the East-West Line and the Circle Line today come just one day after the North-South Line experienced service disruptions yesterday.

The breakdowns today also come one day after Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said on Facebook, “not every ride is perfect, but almost all rides get us to where we want to be safely and smoothly.”:



continue reading here : http://www.theindependent.sg/train-c...de-is-perfect/

[MouParkCoach]

Originally Posted by skyleon

Joo Koon collision: Software glitch in signalling system results in second train misjudging distance

PUBLISHED 6 MIN AGO

Adrian Lim Transport Correspondent


SINGAPORE - An unprecedented software glitch in the signalling system of the East-West Line resulted in a collision between two MRT trains at Joo Koon station on Wednesday morning (Nov 15).

This resulted in a stalled train at Joo Koon being mistakenly profiled as a three-car train instead of a six-car one in the system, operator SMRT and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) revealed.

As a result, a second train which stopped 10.7m behind the first one "misjudged the distance" between the two, resulting in a collision, and injuring 28 people.

Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said: "It's an awful day today. Commuters were inconvenienced, and some even injured. We are deeply sorry for that."

Sharing their preliminary findings at a press conference on Wednesday evening, SMRT and LTA said the first train departed Ulu Pandan depot with a software protection feature, but this was "inadvertently removed" when it passed a faulty signalling circuit.

When it arrived at Joo Koon at 8.18am, all passengers were detrained due to an anomaly in the train signalling system, except for one SMRT staff member on board.

At 8.19am, the second train carrying more than 500 passengers arrived but stopped at the correct safe stopping distance, said LTA and SMRT. However, a minute later, the second train moved towards the first train and hit it.

Among the 28 people hurt were 26 commuters, and one SMRT employee each on board the first and second trains.

Thales, the company which is supplying the new signalling system for the North-South and East-West lines, said it had not encountered a glitch similar to Wednesday's incident previously.

Said Mr Khaw after the press conference: "Thales is confident of their system but I advised the team, let's play doubly safe, where safety is involved, that's why I want them to suspend the Tuas West Extension tomorrow, so we have a whole day to do a thorough check before we resume the Tuas West Extension."

Asked if a committee of inquiry will be convened to look into this, Mr Khaw said to let the investigation take its course.


continue reading here : http://www.straitstimes.com/singapor...ain-misjudging


You still don't want to set up a committee of inquiry ? Why is that so ? PAP always so good to set up committees for other issues why not this one ? Have you got something to hide ? How are you going to answer to those who got inconvenienced and injured in this incident ?

Later committee of inquiry is made up of his fellow PAP MPs. Learn from his boss lah

[sionglim]

very good pcs of news can nvr get at othr

[skyleon]

Joo Koon collision: Signal failure hits confidence

Christopher Tan
Senior Transport Correspondent

PUBLISHED 3 HOURS AGO


The word "ponding" comes to mind. It was used by national water agency PUB to describe massive floods which hit Singapore in December 2011.

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, then Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, took issue with that in Parliament the following month.

"PUB should not have used the word 'ponding'. As far as I am concerned, I call a spade a spade. A flood is a flood," he said, echoing public sentiment.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) and rail operator SMRT described yesterday's collision between two trains in Joo Koon station as an incident where one train had "come into contact" with another train, which conjures the imagery of a nudge.

SMRT repeated the same phrase on its Facebook page.

"This morning at 8.18am, a train heading in the direction of Tuas Link station stalled at Joo Koon station. At 8.19am, a second train stopped behind the first faulty train. At 8.20am, the second train moved forward unexpectedly, and came into contact with the first train."

It was only at 7.42pm that an updated statement by the LTA described the incident as a "collision".

Their earlier reluctance to call a spade a spade severely underplays the seriousness of an accident which left 29 people with injuries.

First and foremost, trains are not supposed to collide, or even come into contact with each other (unless one train was used to push out another disabled one, as has often been the case lately).

That is what the signalling system is for. It keeps a safe distance between trains, acting like an invisible, impenetrable barrier between locomotives.

No metro system can operate without a reliable signalling system, which is actually the eyes of the network.

This is why when trains sense there is something amiss with the signalling system, or there is some interference, they will activate their emergency brakes. It is safety protocol - to be safe first rather than sorry later.

continue reading here : http://www.straitstimes.com/singapor...its-confidence

[skyleon]

MRT collision: No train service on Thursday between Joo Koon and Tuas Link

PUBLISHED 3 HOURS AGO UPDATED2 MIN AGO

Maria Almenoar Assistant News Editor



Train service between Joo Koon and Tuas Link stations will be suspended today for the authorities to carry out investigations, after two trains collided yesterday.

Bus bridging services will be provided for affected passengers. Commuters should also expect trains on the North-South and East-West lines to arrive at slower intervals.

The current two-minute interval between trains will be slowed down to between 21/2 minutes and three minutes.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said that this was being done as an interim safety precaution after yesterday morning's collision, which left at least 29 people injured.

"We want to make sure we understand fully what the cause is and that we have the right measures in place. Once we know that, we will be able to revert back to the previous... operations," LTA's deputy chief executive for infrastructure and development Chua Chong Kheng said at a press conference yesterday.

Investigations so far found that a glitch in the new communications-based train control system wiped out a safety software feature when the first train passed a faulty circuit.

The French firm which provided the signalling system, Thales, said that this was the first time such an incident had happened.

PRIORITY FOR PASSENGERS' SAFETY

Our key focus after the incident had happened was primarily the safety and well-being of the passengers. So, we had to put in place our plan to send our Care teams, activate our management, so that the passengers who have sustained injuries can be attended to and taken care of immediately. That was our key priority at that time.

MR ALVIN KEK, SMRT Trains senior vice-president of rail operations (North-South, East-West lines), when asked why it took almost three hours for SMRT and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to issue a statement about the incident.

SAFETY ASSURANCE

This issue does not exist on the North-South Line. We are very confident that the system is very safe.

MR PETER TAWN, French firm Thales' spokesman, when asked if commuters should be concerned about safety given that the new signalling system is being used on North-South Line now.


"In fact, the CBTC (communications-based train control) is on record as one of the safest systems. We have never actually had a collision," said Thales representative Peter Tawn.

He added that it was unlikely, but the company has not ruled out increasing the safety factor - or the buffer distance - between trains, and a decision would be made once the investigations are completed.

The current safety factor ranges from about 10m to 50m, and is calculated based on a number of parameters, including the gradient of the track, Mr Tawn explained.

In yesterday's incident, the trains had adhered to the safety buffer of 10.7m before the train at the back lurched forward and collided with the one at the station platform.

SMRT's senior vice-president of rail operations for the North-South and East-West lines, Mr Alvin Kek, said that the operator was putting "additional checks and controls in place" as a safety precaution.


continue reading here : http://www.straitstimes.com/singapor...-and-tuas-link

[skyleon]

Joo Koon collision: 'It happened so quickly... It was a really big stop'

PUBLISHED 3 HOURS AGO

Sudden impact threw many off balance; one door later opened to let passengers leave train

Aw Cheng Wei
Tan Tam Mei
Adrian Lim Transport Correspondent

Service coordinator Alexandru Robu, 35, was on his way to work yesterday morning when the train he was on collided with a stationary one in front of it at 8.20am.

"It happened so quickly," said Mr Robu, who was standing in the carriage closest to the collision. "It was a really big stop, and we heard a loud sound."

The sudden stop threw him off balance. He tried to break his fall with his hand and landed on the ground. He estimated that 30 people around him also fell.

"Some people fell on top of each other," said Mr Robu, who is from Moldova in eastern Europe. "Everyone took about one to two minutes to recover."

An announcement then came on informing commuters that help would be arriving in about 20 minutes.

The plan was to tow the stationary train away before the second train could pull into the platform.

It was then that Mr Robu no-ticed a man on the ground holding his head.

A man being attended to after the collision. A commuter in the second train said that the sudden stop threw him off balance. He estimated that 30 people around him also fell from the impact. PHOTO: MELVIN LAU
"He did not look good," said Mr Robu. He went over to the man, who started to look unresponsive.

He said: "I tried to keep him engaged by talking to him and making sure that he was okay."

At this time, some people in the train were calling for an ambulance. Mr Robu pressed the emergency button to ask the driver if the first door could be opened to let the man out for fresh air.

It was starting to get stuffy in the train. "There was no air-con," Mr Robu said. "People were also getting anxious."

About 20 minutes later, a second announcement came on to inform passengers that the first door would be opened to let them out.

People left in a proper fashion, guided by SMRT staff and police officers. Mr Robu stayed with the injured man, who was put in a wheelchair once he got out of the train, and made sure he received medical attention.

Mr Samuel Ng, 48, a sports adviser who was getting off another train at about 8.50am, said that he saw people queueing to get out of the second train.

He said: "There was no chaos, no shouting. When I went downstairs, there was also a very long queue at the control station."

Commuters on the platform said that they heard a dull thud before people started screaming.

Mr Ganeshan Sivalingam, 38, who was waiting at the platform for the train to Tuas Link, said he heard a "bang".


continue reading here : http://www.straitstimes.com/singapor...eally-big-stop


It must have been a terrifying experience for the commuters involved . Hope all will recover from this incident .

[skyleon]

SMRT staff to help with compensation queries

PUBLISHED 3 HOURS AGO

Maria Almenoar Assistant News Editor

Passengers who were injured in the Joo Koon station train collision may approach staff at any SMRT station to ask about compensation.

Train operator SMRT said it would help any passengers affected even if they were not taken to the hospital immediately by its team.

SMRT said that at about 7.30pm yesterday, Ng Teng Fong General Hospital had admitted an injured passenger as a walk-in patient.

This brought the total number of injured to 29, including two SMRT employees.

The injured were treated at Ng Teng Fong General Hospital, where two remain warded for observation, and National University Hospital, where one passenger is still warded.

All injured passengers were on board the same train which had collided with a stationary train. The moving train was carrying 517 people, including its driver.

The injuries included bruises and fractures, with one passenger hitting the grabhold when the train lurched forward. One commuter broke a tooth, while another fainted during the incident.

An assistant station manager, who was on board the stationary train, was also injured after helping passengers alight.



continue reading here : http://www.straitstimes.com/singapor...sation-queries

[skyleon]

MRT collision is branded a “blemish” in Singapore’s efficiency and infrastructure by international news outlets

November 16, 2017



What was once a source of national pride has now become a source of national embarrassment, with the MRT collision at Joo Koon station yesterday morning being the latest in a string of service breakdowns that have plagued Singapore’s public transport system and inconvenienced countless commuters in recent years.

Yesterday’s train collision is especially notable since at least 29 people were injured and had to seek medical attention from local hospitals.

The train collision has gained widespread international traction, with several news outlets commenting on the collision – which is the first such incident since 1993 – yesterday.

Bloomberg News did not mince words in its report. The report was re-published in the South China Morning Post, as well:


“The incident is the latest blemish in a city known for its efficiency, tree-lined highways and slick infrastructure. Singapore’s mass transit system has been strained as the population expanded, leading to multiple breakdowns and delays especially in the past six years, symptomatic of a learning curve the city faces as it upgrades infrastructure rapidly to cope with more people.”



continue reading here : http://www.theindependent.sg/mrt-col...-news-outlets/

[skyleon]

SDP repeats call for MOT Khaw to step down after train collision


Protected November 16th, 2017 | Author: YourSDP


Following the flooding of the train tunnel on 7 October 2017, the SDP called for Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan to step down as it had become clear that he is unable to resolve the problems that plague the SMRT.

The SDP renews our call for Mr Khaw to resign his post following the train collision at Joo Koon station this morning.

The Minister blamed the tunnel-flooding incident on a small and isolated group of maintenance staff of the company, taking disciplinary action against them and cutting their bonuses.

He said yesterday at the Public Transport Workers’ Appreciation Day:


A small group of SMRT workers had negated the good work of other SMRT workers and brought disrepute to other transport workers.

It is obvious that with the train collision this morning, the problems at SMRT is not confined to just a small band of workers. There is systemic failure on the part of the management team which at the apex sits Mr Khaw.

Already under his watch, two maintenance workers were killed in 2016 at the Pasir Ris station because of the breakdown of the safety system. Back then, two SMRT staff were blamed and sacked.

Problems regarding maintenance continued until 7 October when the tunnel flooded. The incident was dangerous and could have jeopardised the physical safety of passengers.

Similarly, the train collision this morning could have resulted in more than just injury to commuters, it could have been deadly.

The leadership at the very top – starting with Mr Khaw – must take responsibility for this latest as well as earlier mishaps. The widespread and persistent malfunctioning of the system is another indication of the poor leadership in our public transport system.


continue reading here : http://www.tremeritus.com/2017/11/16/125958/

[SiaSuay]

1 ) Track fault

2 ) Train fault

3 ) Signalling fault

4) Train stalled

5) Emergency brake fault

6 ) Door not opening on platform .

7 ) Glass panel on platform came off

8 ) water leaked in train cabin

9 ) Freon gas leaked in train cabin .

10 ) fire in tunnel

11 ) flooding in tunnel .

12) Software problem ( EWL}

13 ) the melting was caused by an electrical arcing - similar to the one which sparked a trackside fire between Marina Bay and Raffles Place stations on Oct 7, and which was caused by a build-up of debris.

14) train overshot the platform have to reverse

15 ) defective train stalled rescue train dispatched also stalled . What a joke .

16) train colliding with train

17) 'inadvertent' removal of software protection feature

18 ) Every time Mr Khaw open his big moth something serious happen



The big question is how can a certain part of the software be removed ? Was it accidently removed by human or removed by its own ? Or was it being hacked into ? So the Thales signalling software safe and secure or not ? Why so many issues with SMRT and yet the Minister still do not want to set up an Independent Committee of Inquiry ? Why is it taking so long for the signalling software to stabalise ???

[sionglim]

Do not know why the safety feature of software routine is remove from the program, train misstaken the front train is 3 cabin train, misjudge the distance, though the driver can manual brake, but only few second to response. Dont think they can blame driver.
Thales system had nvr got such problem at all.
This fault is different from last time,power ,traction, facility pump fault.
More scary, if high speed collision.
This is just a nudge. From two stationery train.
Damaged two c151a train, china made isit? By kawasaki in china.

The rest of the week shld be smooth ride.
Coz bad thing 3 in a row already hapen.
Choi choi choi

[siam66]

Originally Posted by SiaSuay

The big question is how can a certain part of the software be removed ? Was it accidently removed by human or removed by its own ? Or was it being hacked into ? So the Thales signalling software safe and secure or not ? Why so many issues with SMRT and yet the Minister still do not want to set up an Independent Committee of Inquiry ? Why is it taking so long for the signalling software to stabalise ???

Returned 30 green apples to you bro ... thanks for exchanging with me ...cheers

[skyleon]

North East Line train breaks down at Clarke Quay

PUBLISHED 27 MIN AGO

Christopher Tan Senior Transport Correspondent



SINGAPORE – A train on the North East Line broke down at Clarke Quay station towards Punggol at 6.20pm Thursday (Nov 16), the latest in a string of rail faults this week.

Operator SBS Transit pushed out a public alert that journey time will be extended by 10 minutes at 6.20pm, then sent out another tweet at 6.32pm that the additional time will be increased to 15 minutes. It is likely to be significantly longer because a 12-car push-out is underway.

This is when another six-car train is used to push the crippled train out of the way so that normal service can resume.

At 6.42pm, SBS Transit announced that there would be free buses available “at designated bus stops” between Outram Park and Farrer Park stations.

Commuters reported crowds swelling at Serangoon interchange, among other stations.

SBS Transit @SBSTransit_Ltd
16/11, 6.32pm: Due to a train fault at Clarke Quay stn twds Punggol, additional travel time of 15mins is expected in both directions. We are sorry.
2:34 AM - Nov 16, 2017

SBS Transit @SBSTransit_Ltd
16/11, 6.20pm: NEL svc is delayed due to a Train fault at Clarke Quay stn twds Punggol. Additional travel time of abt 10mins is expected in both directions
2:24 AM - Nov 16, 2017

“I started at Buangkok, and it took me 30 minutes to reach Hougang – one station away.”

Mr Chua said he decided to get out of the train at Hougang “to wait it out and to get a quick meal”. He said many others decided to leave the train there too.

The breakdown is the fourth in two days. On Wednesday, all three lines operated by SMRT experienced delays and disruptions.

Service on the East-West Line was tripped up by a two-train collision in Joo Koon station, the Circle Line was affected by what was believed to be a door-related fault. Later in the afternoon, journey time along the North-South line took 40 minutes longer than usual because several trains were pulled out of service.


continue reading here : http://www.straitstimes.com/singapor...at-clarke-quay


Now also SBS transit got train fault ??? So many train faults . So how Mr Khaw ? Still want to vote for PAP ?

[skyleon]

Commuters involved in Joo Koon MRT collision upset as little or no assistance rendered

It could have been handled better.

By Fasiha Nazren | November 16, 2017



By now, everyone knows about the Joo Koon MRT collision that happened on Nov. 15, 2017.

A total of 517 passengers were on the moving train and at least 29 people were reported to have been injured due to the collision.

Khaw Boon Wan apologised and said “it was an awful day”, but the negative sentiments from the affected commuters were not just because of the injuries and inconveniences caused.

Staff were unprepared to handle emergencies

According to a letter submitted to The Online Citizen, one Chen GJ was on the stationary train when the collision happened.

According to him, one foreign worker couldn’t get up due to the impact.

When activating the emergency communication button didn’t expedite assistance being rendered, another commuter decided to alert the driver to the casualty and another SMRT staff came along to check on the foreign worker.

When asked if it was possible to evacuate the injured foreign worker through just one door of the cabin, the SMRT staff said it wouldn’t be possible as all the train doors would open and this could endanger the safety of all passengers.

Only after half an hour later did the driver’s door open and only then was the injured man evacuated.

Lack of assistance reported on mainstream media

Claims of lack of assistance right after the collision have also been reported by Channel News Asia, who spoke to a female passenger who was unnamed:


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

[…]

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.”


continue reading here : https://mothership.sg/2017/11/joo-ko...ion-commuters/