SCREEN DOORS AT MRT PLATFORMS

SCREEN DOORS AT MRT PLATFORMS: 5.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak asked the Minister for Transport in the light of two passenger fatalities at MRT stations this year (a) whether he will give an update on the status of the programme to install Half Height Platform Screen Doors at MRT platforms that do not have screen doors; (b) whether the Government will accelerate the installation programme to prevent more accidents; and (c) what interim measures can be taken to safeguard passenger safety.

The Senior Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Transport (Mr Teo Ser Luck) (for the Minister for Transport): Sir, I share Dr Lim’s concern about the safety of our train commuters. As announced by the Minister of Transport early last year,

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the Land Transport Authority (LTA) is installing Half-Height Platform Screen Doors (HHPSD) at all elevated MRT stations Lines to further enhance commuter safety.

Work to install platform screen doors at the first group of MRT stations – Jurong East, Pasir Ris and Yishun – has already started. These three stations will have their platform screen doors functioning by the end of this year. Work on the rest of the 33 elevated stations on the North-South and East-West Lines will be carried out progressively after that. All elevated stations will have platform screen doors by 2012.

Installing platform screen doors on an existing operational MRT line is not a simple task. Workers have to access the tracks each night to cut away the edge of the station platform next to the train track, remove the electrical insulation membrane, drill into the platform to mount the foundation for the platform screen door, install the door frames, put up the actual screen door, and carry out rigorous testing to ensure reliability and safety.

LTA will try to accelerate this timeline as much as possible. However, a key constraint is that work can only be done for only two-and-a-half hours every night and it is between 1.30 am and 4.00 am. This is because all the elevated stations are operational stations, and we cannot start cutting up the station platform while commuters are still using the station during the day. In addition, the work is carried out at the edge of the platform, which means that workers often have to work from the train tracks. For their safety, the work can only proceed when the electricity on that section of track has been completely cut off. This is only possible outside the MRT’s normal operating hours after all the passenger trains have been brought back to the

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depots and the track maintenance vehicles have been deployed from the depots every night. It is therefore not possible to extend the working hours without compromising safety or affecting the normal operations of the MRT. Nonetheless, LTA will do what it can without affecting safety to try to complete the programme as soon as possible.

In the meantime, the Public Transport Operators (PTOs) will continue to proactively ensure safety through the regular broadcasting of recorded voice and video messages on station platforms, to remind commuters not to stand beyond the yellow line or rush to catch a departing train. The operators’ staff will also patrol the station platforms to help commuters who may feel faint or unwell, and advise them to keep away from the platform edge while waiting for the train. In addition, train operators will continue to keep a lookout for dangerous situations as their trains approach the station, and sound the horn or apply the emergency brakes if necessary.

I would like to urge commuters to take care of their own personal safety. Commuters should observe safety instructions, stand behind the yellow line, and seek assistance from the MRT station officers if they feel unwell. Ultimately, this is a shared responsibility for safety and is best ensured when everyone and every stakeholder does his part.

Dr Lim Wee Kiak (Sembawang): Sir, to wait for end of the year for three stations to be completed and the rest until 2012 seems to be too long. As it is now, there have been two fatalities already, and I am not sure how many are needed before we can speed up the project. I do hope that despite all the technical difficulties that the Senior Parliamentary Secretary has just described, there should be other ways to make it safer.

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I would like to ask the Senior Parliamentary Secretary what is the minimum distance between the edge of the MRT platform and the yellow line, and whether MOT has reviewed the CCTVs or the footages of the accidents to see what ways we could have prevented these. By increasing the distance between the yellow line and the edge of the MRT track platform, will that actually help to improve safety?

Second question – I would like to ask the Senior Parliamentary Secretary is: what is the liability of the PTO in such accidents. Whether passengers are insured for injury incurred while they are using the facilities? Last of all, I would like to ask the Senior Parliamentary Secretary whether the CCTV was working for these incidents.

Mr Teo Ser Luck:

I think we will take all suggestions and review them when necessary to see if it is implementable on the ground. We will try to accelerate the construction and implementation of the platform screen doors. The important thing to note is that whilst doing that, it is important to ensure not just the safety of the workers, but also to make sure that we carry out a comprehensive and complete job because if the screen doors are built in a rush, I think you will endanger more lives. We want to, after completing the first three stations, gather the feedback and review the operational issues before we implement the doors at the other 33 stations. But as much as we can, we will try to accelerate the whole programme because I understand that safety concerns are of paramount importance.

As for the CCTV, yes, it was working at that point in time. The issue is that the CCTV can only record but it may not be manned 24/7. Whilst recording can help you trace back what happened, more importantly, we need our station officers on the ground to be more vigilant and look

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at what else can be done, for example, making the commuters aware that they should keep a safe distance behind the yellow line.

As for increasing the distance between the yellow line and the platform edge, this suggestion will have to be reviewed – whether moving the yellow line backwards will be a feasible plan or not, and whether it will affect the whole volume or traffic flow of commuters when they are queuing for the train. I think more importantly is to make sure the PTOs stay vigilant and be careful. And I think this requires commitment from the PTOs.