UPDATE (8pm): CNA reports that the incident was caused by a signal-related fault along the Circle Line. Train movement between Holland Village and Haw Par Villa MRT stations was affected. SMRT rectified the issue within five minutes.
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While travelling to work or school, the last thing we want is for our morning commute to be disrupted. Unfortunately, this was what happened to numerous people at Bishan MRT station.
On Tuesday (10 May) morning, huge crowds formed at Bishan MRT when commuters were told to use the stairs after the station’s escalators changed direction.
Source: @ToxicConsort on Twitter
Inconvenienced by the incident, many were left wondering what exactly happened.
According to pictures sent in by an MS News reader, there was major congestion at the Circle Line (CCL) platform of Bishan MRT station on Tuesday (10 May) morning.
Image courtesy of an MS News reader
At around 8.30am, huge crowds had already formed, and commuters were stuck at the platform, unable to move from the North-South Line (NSL).
Source: Twitter
Another commuter shared on Twitter that the four escalators leading commuters down to the CCL platform were all changed to move upwards. From the footage, it seems that commuters coming from the NSL to CCL were diverted to the stairs on the left, slowing them down.
On the other hand, commuters leaving the platform to go upstairs could use the escalators as they were functioning normally.
More pictures of the masses of people gathering at the platform soon surfaced on social media.
Source: Facebook
One commuter, who was on the way to Kent Ridge, shared that he heard an announcement at 8.30am,
Due to an incident, train departures are delayed. We seek your understanding and patience.
When MS News arrived at the platform at around 9.20am, the crowds had dispersed. However, the station manager declined to comment on the situation.
We’ve also reached out to SMRT for comments and will update the article once they get back.
This situation must have been stressful for everyone involved as nobody wishes for such a disruption during peak hours.
We urge everyone to be understanding to the SMRT staff, who were also trying their best to help commuters travel safely.
Hopefully, the inconveniences caused were minimal and those affected weren’t too late in getting to work or school.
Have news you must share? Get in touch with us via email at news@mustsharenews.com.
Featured image adapted from Facebook.
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