page_title: Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore)
section_title: Safety
hierarchical_section_title: Mass Rapid Transit (Singapore) / Safety
caption_attribution_description: English: Platform of Pasir Ris MRT Station, Singapore
context_page_description: The Mass Rapid Transit, abbreviated and referred to in local parlance as the MRT, is a heavy rail rapid transit system that constitutes the bulk of the railway network in Singapore, spanning—with the exception of the forested core and the island's rural northwest—the length and width of the city-state's main island. The first section of the MRT opened on 7 November 1987, and the network has since grown rapidly in accordance with Singapore's aim of developing a comprehensive rail network as the backbone of the country's public transportation system, with an average daily ridership of 3.384 million in 2019, approximately 83% of the bus network's 4.099 million in the same period.
  Singapore's MRT infrastructure is built, operated, and managed in accordance with a hybridised quasi-nationalised regulatory framework called the New Rail Financing Framework, in which the lines are constructed and the assets owned by the Land Transport Authority, a statutory board of the Government of Singapore.
context_section_description: Operators and authorities have stated that numerous measures had been taken to ensure the safety of passengers, and SBS Transit publicised the safety precautions on the driverless North East line before and after its opening. Safety campaign posters are highly visible in trains and stations, and the operators frequently broadcast safety announcements to passengers and to commuters waiting for trains. Fire safety standards are consistent with the strict guidelines of the US National Fire Protection Association.
  Full-height platform screen doors were already installed in underground stations since 1987, supplied by Westinghouse. There were calls for platform screen doors to be installed at elevated stations after several incidents in which passengers were killed by oncoming trains when they fell onto the railway tracks at elevated stations. The authorities initially rejected such calls by casting doubts over functionality and concerns about the high installation costs. Nevertheless, the LTA reversed its decision and made plans to install half-height platform screen doors in all elevated stations on 25 January 2008. The first platform screen doors by ST Electronics were installed at Jurong East, Pasir Ris, and Yishun stations in 2009 under trials to test their feasibility.
  By 14 March 2012, all elevated stations have been retrofitted with the doors and are operational. These doors prevent suicides and unauthorised access to restricted areas. Under the Rapid Transit Systems Act, acts such as smoking, eating or drinking in stations and trains, the misuse of emergency equipment and trespassing on the railway tracks are illegal, with penalties ranging from fines to imprisonment.
  There were a few major accidents in the history of the MRT that raised safety concerns among the public. On 5 August 1993, two trains collided at Clementi station because of an oil spillage on the track, which resulted in 132 injuries. During the construction of the Circle line on 20 April 2004, a tunnel being constructed under Nicoll Highway collapsed and led to the deaths of four people. On 15 November 2017, at 8:20 a.m., two trains collided at Joo Koon station, injuring 36 passengers and 2 SMRT staff.
caption: Half-height platform screen doors at Pasir Ris station on the East West line
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