The two SMRT train staff who were killed in an accident near Pasir Ris MRT station on Tuesday morning have been identified, according to reports from The Straits Times citing the train operator.

They are 26-year-old Nasrulhudin Najumudin and 24-year-old Muhammad Asyraf Ahmad Buhari, who had joined the company in January this year, and were going through training when the accident occurred, the paper reported.

Citing a statement from SMRT communications vice president Patrick Nathan, ST said the pair were part of a technical team that went down to the track to investigate a reported alarm from a condition monitoring device for signalling equipment.

"Permission to access the track was authorised. Initial findings indicate that before the accident happened, the team was moving in a single file on the walkway beside the track, on the way to the location of the signalling equipment," he reportedly said.

Earlier in the afternoon, investigators were spotted walking onto the tracks near the train station, while the stalled train that was believed to have run over the two young men had been moved back there.

Meanwhile, as train services come back online, Nathan said SMRT is working with police to conduct detailed investigation into the incident. The operator said it is also reviewing all safety procedures, including those involving track access.

The governing Land Transport Authority has also issued the following brief statement: