Frequent MRT commuters may be used to crowded trains and the occasional breakdown, but white smoke would be cause for further concern.
On Friday (27 Oct), white smoke was observed at Novena MRT station, causing the station to be shut down for about two hours.
Source: Adrian Choo on Facebook
The station was eventually reopened after it was found that the source of the smoke was an Air Handling Unit (AHU).
At 5.49pm on Friday (27 Oct), SMRT alerted the public to an unspecified “incident” at Novena MRT.
The station was thus closed, meaning trains in both directions did not stop there.
Source: SMRT on Facebook
Free regular bus and bridging bus services were available between Newton and Toa Payoh stations.
While the authorities didn’t reveal details on the exact nature of the incident, netizens as usual provided some answers.
One posted a video of the smoke-filled interior of Novena station, saying it smelt of burnt rubber.
He added that he’d heard an announcement advising commuters to evacuate the station. The area outside the gantries was filled with people who were seemingly evacuated.
Source: Adrian Choo on Facebook
Another video on TikTok showed people calmly exiting the station amid the smoke.
Source: @nidentified71 on TikTok
An update by SMRT at 6.28pm said they activated the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) after station staff detected smoke inside the station. However, no smoke was detected in the tunnel.
Source: SMRT on Facebook
Commuters were evacuated and the station was closed for safety reasons.
At 6.37pm, the SCDF posted on Facebook that they were alerted to the incident at 5.30pm, and dispatched a team to the scene.
Source: Singapore Civil Defence Force on Facebook
Sure enough, a number of SCDF vehicles were seen outside Novena Square, which is on top of the MRT station.
Source: Adrian Choo on Facebook
SCDF firefighters were also seen entering the closed station.
Source: @nidentified71 on TikTok
Finally, at 7.18pm the SCDF updated that the smoke had dissipated when they arrived.
Source: Singapore Civil Defence Force on Facebook
Preliminary investigations showed that the smoke had come from the motor of an AHU.
The AHU was located inside a room at the concourse level and has been isolated for further investigation.
Thankfully, no injuries were reported.
At 7.37pm — about two hours after the smoke was detected — SMRT said that Novena MRT station had been reopened for normal service.
Source: SMRT on Facebook
That meant that train services in both directions were fully restored.
Like the SCDF, they said the white smoke had come from an AHU, specifically its motor.
They apologised for the inconvenience caused to the public.
Today’s incident was sadly not the first time that smoke caused alarm in Singapore’s MRT system.
Just last month, white smoke filled the cabin of a train approaching City Hall MRT, forcing an evacuation when it reached the station.
SMRT later found the cause to be a refrigerant gas leak and withdrew the train from service.
In May 2022, a train was evacuated at Kembangan station due to white smoke being detected.
The incident was caused by a leaking air-con compressor, SMRT said.
Perhaps it may be a good idea to bring along one of our unused Covid-era masks the next time we take the MRT, just in case.
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Featured image adapted from @nidentified71 on TikTok.
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