LTA looking into safety measures & incident response processes after death of man who fell onto LRT tracks

The investigation by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) following the death of a 68-year-old man who fell onto the tracks at Segar LRT station will look into the "adequacy and appropriateness" of LRT platform safety measures and incident response processes.

Deceased's family questions platform safety

In a media reply, an LTA spokesperson said that LTA, along with rail operators, recognises the risk of falls onto MRT and LRT tracks.

The circumstances of the May 18 incident are still under investigation by both the police and LTA, the spokesperson shared.

LTA's spokesperson said its investigation will look into the "adequacy and appropriateness" of safety measures as well as incident response processes.

"Based on investigation findings, further improvements will be made as needed to improve commuter safety," they added.

68-year-old Loh Hee Chen was on his way to work on May 18 morning when he fell in front of an oncoming train.

Loh's family shared that the 68-year-old suffered from low blood sugar and had experienced dizzy spells.

They also raised questions about platform safety at LRT stations, particularly about the lack of platform screen doors.

LRT stations lack space to support screen door equipment: LTA

LTA's spokesperson said that all underground stations have full-height platform screen doors.

The retrofitting of half-height platform screen doors for above-ground stations on the East-West and North-South lines started in 2009.

However, the spokesperson explained that LTA was not able to do the same for unmanned LRT stations due to "physical limitations".

Platform screen doors must be integrated with train signalling systems to ensure that the train doors and platform screen doors open and close in sync.

"If doors operate out of sync, this may cause further safety risks," LTA's spokesperson said.

"As our LRT platforms are much smaller than MRT platforms, there is insufficient space to install equipment and cabling to support platform screen doors that can operate in sync with train doors, without substantially affecting the space available for commuters,"  the spokesperson continued.

Existing safety measures

LTA and rail operators have continued to explore new technology solutions to overcome this constraint, the spokesperson pointed out.

For example, all LRT stations have been equipped with barriers since 2018.

A line of tactile warning studs has also been installed on LRT station platforms to warn passengers about the platform's edge.

"More recently, LTA and rail operators have also adopted systems using artificial intelligence and video analytics to raise an immediate alert when persons move past the fixed barriers and enter LRT tracks," LTA's spokesperson shared.

SMRT has installed such a system at stations along the Bukit Panjang LRT line in 2023, and a similar system has also been installed for the Sengkang-Punggol LRT lines.