Commuters fail to alight, press emergency button & cause MRT train to stop along East-West Line

A group made up of some 15 adults and young children were alighting at Lakeside MRT station along the East-West Line on Feb. 12 morning, when six of them failed to get off on time.

A woman from the group then pressed the red emergency communication button beside the train door, causing the train to stop, while it was en route to Chinese Garden MRT station.

Over the speaker, she allegedly demanded the SMRT staff open the door, and the staff asked her to wait.

However, while the staff were assessing the situation, another woman in the group apparently pressed the button repeatedly and demanded the doors to be opened immediately.

The women's efforts eventually proved futile, as the train resumed its journey towards Chinese Garden MRT station.

Group purportedly alighted 'slowly', which caused incident: Witness

The incident was caught on camera by another commuter on the train, and the photo, along with the commuter's account of what happened, was posted by Sgfollowsall.

According to the account, the group, which the women was a part of, apparently comprised children, their parents, and staff from an infant school.

When the train initially reached Lakeside MRT station, the group allegedly tried exiting via the same door, but they purportedly did so with "no sense of urgency", even as the train signalled that its doors were closing.

As a result, six group members, including a man, two woman-child pairs, and a staff member, did not manage to get off, alleged the commuter who witnessed the incident.

Woman allegedly characterised situation as 'emergency'

According to the commuter, one person in the group pressed the emergency communication button first before another woman dressed in a pink shirt allegedly did the same.

Several passengers, including the eyewitness, apparently tried to stop them by telling them that they could simply alight at the next station and take another train back to Lakeside MRT station.

In response, the woman in pink allegedly claimed that their situation was "an emergency", as the father was separated from his four-year-old child, who managed to get off at Lakeside MRT station.

The exchange ended when the train resumed its journey towards Chinese Garden MRT station, where the six-member group apparently alighted and boarded the train in the opposite direction.

In the post, the commuter praised the SMRT staff for their quick response, adding that they ran "quickly" towards the carriage where the group was to find out what had happened.

At the same time, the authorities were called upon to educate commuters on the purpose of the emergency communication button and its correct usage.

Women's act 'irresponsible': SMRT

In response to Mothership's queries, president of SMRT Trains Lam Sheau Kai said the incident took place at around 10am on Feb. 12.

According to Lam, SMRT takes "a serious view of this irresponsible act" that causes delays to train services and affects many other commuters.

"We would like to remind all commuters that the emergency communication button should be activated only in an emergency. Emergency situations include assault, molestations, medical emergencies, spotting suspicious items or people, accidents, and train cabin faults," said Lam.

In the event commuters miss their stop, they can exit at the next station and board the train back, which will take about six to seven minutes, read the statement.

"We strongly urge all commuters to use the emergency communication button responsibly and reserve it for real emergencies," added Lam.

According to the Rapid Transit Systems Regulations, those convicted of misusing emergency or safety devices on the railway premises could be fined S$5,000.

Top images via Sgfollowsall & SMRT/YouTube