UPDATE (5.30pm, 10 Nov): SMRT shared that Circle Line train service towards Marina Bay station temporarily came to a stop after the Emergency Stop Plunger at Bartley station was activated — someone had spotted a commuter feeling unwell.
Given the suspension in service, nearby interchange stations experienced crowding at the platforms and station staff had to control the flow of commuters from the concourse to the platform levels to prevent over-crowding.
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After the recent tragedy in Itaewon sent shockwaves around the globe, concerns about overcrowding have understandably risen. A Redditor appeared to have felt that concern, particularly this morning (10 Nov) when arriving at Serangoon MRT station.
Riding on an escalator towards a crowded platform, the OP described the experience as a “near crowd stampede situation”.
Realising that the people on the escalator were descending towards an unmoving crowd and fearing imminent danger, the OP shouted for staff to turn the machinery off.
Thankfully, the OP said that nobody fell from the overcrowding.
The Redditor first shared a picture of the crowding situation on the circle line platform at Serangoon MRT station on Thursday (10 Nov) morning.
Source: Reddit
In the picture, hordes of people were seen standing near the station doors. Despite the crowd, one can vaguely make out queues at the respective MRT doors, where commuters lined up to enter the carriages.
The issue seemed to be at the escalator landings, as there appeared to be more people pouring onto the platform than there was space to accommodate them.
The OP claimed in a comment that it was “a near crowd stampede situation”, which prompted him to shout for someone to “turn off the escalator”. Other people allegedly joined in.
Source: Reddit
In a separate comment, however, the OP admitted that the crowd density didn’t match the “level of stampede” yet. However, he was allegedly so close to the people in front and behind him, to the point of “touching” and “pushing slightly”.
He estimated that if the MRT arrived any later and more people continued to alight from the escalator, the situation could have gotten worse.
The OP imagined an unpleasant outcome should a child fall down in such a situation.
Speaking to MS News, the OP said that the crowd dispersed within an hour. He explained that he did not press the button to stop the escalator himself as he worried people would step on him if he lowered himself.
The overcrowding issue sparked rather intense debate on the different ways to handle it.
This netizen suggested having some form of crowd control before entering the platform.
Source: Reddit
Meanwhile, another commenter who claimed to be a station staff provided more context to the situation.
Source: Reddit
According to the alleged staff member, someone had pulled an Emergency Stop Plunger (ESP) around the platform, causing a crowd to form.
Despite explaining that the staff did not expect someone to do that, the commenter confessed that they could have acted quicker.
Seemingly implying that the commuters’ concerns were valid, he thanked those who shouted for staff to stop the escalators.
However, he pointed out that he didn’t witness the commotion when he arrived at the platform at 8.39 am.
He purported that everything looked normal at that point in time.
Whatever the real circumstances may have been, we’re mostly glad that nobody was hurt.
MS News has reached out to SBS Transit for comment on the matter and will update the article accordingly when they get back.
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Featured image adapted from Reddit.
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