LRT breaks down beside Punggol Point station, staff opens doors for passengers to alight
The Punggol LRT broke down on Saturday (10 Jan) afternoon, trapping passengers in the train for about 15 minutes.
A commuter who was on the train posted a video of the incident on Facebook, showing a staff member next to an open emergency exit door.
Source: Vincent Lim on Facebook
Staff adjusts switch panel after Punggol LRT breaks down
In the clip, the staff member appeared to be adjusting a switch panel next to the emergency exit while talking to someone via walkie-talkie.
The person on the other end then advised him to “try one more time”, after which he stood looking at the open door.
Source: Vincent Lim on Facebook
In a similar post on Reddit, made at 3.29pm on Saturday, the original poster said the train had broken down near Punggol Point LRT station that day.
Punggol LRT suddenly brakes as it leaves the station
The commuter, Mr Vincent Lim, told 8world News that the breakdown happened at about 2.30pm.
The LRT train was leaving Punggol Point station when it suddenly braked, causing him to almost fall.
There were about 20 passengers in the cabin at the time, he said.
The train was at a standstill for about five minutes before they heard an announcement.
However, he described the message as “very muffled”, so he could not understand what it said at all.
Passengers didn’t have to walk on the tracks
A staff member finally entered the train via the emergency exit after about five to 10 minutes, Mr Lim said.
It is understood that passengers were able to leave the train after the staff member opened the doors for them to alight.
Mr Lim added that it was fortunate that the breakdown took place next to the station, so they did not need to walk on the tracks to return to the platform.
Source: Google Maps
He hoped, though, that the transport operator would do something about the unclear announcements on the train.
SBS Transit apologises for incident
In response to 8world’s queries, SBS Transit, which operates the Punggol LRT, confirmed that a train on the West Loop experienced a technical problem for less than 15 minutes on Saturday.
Trains in the opposite direction operated normally during the incident.
SBS apologised for the inconvenience caused to passengers, and is investigating the cause of the incident, it said.
MS News has reached out to SBS for more information.
Also read: No service on Sengkang-Punggol LRT on 15 Aug morning, 2nd incident in 4 days
No service on Sengkang-Punggol LRT on 15 Aug morning, 2nd incident in 4 days
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Featured image adapted from Vincent Lim on Facebook and Google Maps.
