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Close shave for man in wheelchair at MRT station platform

On Oct 10, I was travelling on the MRT along the North-South Line heading towards Jurong East, and witnessed a near-accident.

Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan visited SMRT’s Operations Control Centre on Saturday (March 10) night to observe tests on the NSEWL of the new signalling system, supplied by French multinational firm Thales and which allows trains to arrive at closer intervals during peak hours. Photo: SMRT via Facebook

Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan visited SMRT’s Operations Control Centre on Saturday (March 10) night to observe tests on the NSEWL of the new signalling system, supplied by French multinational firm Thales and which allows trains to arrive at closer intervals during peak hours. Photo: SMRT via Facebook

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Rachel Tan Wee Cho

On Oct 10, I was travelling on the MRT along the North-South Line heading towards Jurong East, and witnessed a near-accident.

When the train came to a halt at one of the above-ground stations, an old man, who was unaccompanied, was manoeuvring his wheelchair to enter the train cabin. The floor of the train was not aligned with the station platform and his wheelchair got stuck in-between.

He managed to reverse and free the wheelchair, and tried to enter the train a second time. Again, it was stuck. The train doors were about to close on him and riders inside the train tried to pull him into the train but encountered some difficulties.

Thankfully, there was a young couple at the station who witnessed the incident and, in the nick of time, managed to pull the man’s wheelchair to safety before the doors closed on him and the train sped off.

It was a close shave, and to avoid a recurrence of such incidents, is there a solution for wheelchair-bound or disadvantaged passengers?

A special waiting lane demarcated for persons with disabilities or mothers with babies in strollers might be helpful, so that an MRT employee may be stationed at this lane to help these riders embark or disembark from the train safely.

A prominent signboard could also be put up to inform other commuters to give way to them.

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