Ang Mo Kio

Ang Mo Kio

Ang Mo Kio is an elevated station on the North South Line. Ang Mo Kio is one of the only three elevated MRT stations to have a middle train track (the other one being Tanah Merah and Jurong East before it was upgraded under the Jurong East Modification Project with an additional platform and fourth train track). The middle track is utilised during track/train faults, and certain train service that starts from Marina South Pier or Jurong East and ends here.

Opened on 7 November 1987, Ang Mo Kio is one of the five stations that collectively make up Singapore's oldest MRT stations. This station will become an interchange station along the Cross Island line when Stage 1 of the Cross Island Line opens.

## History

On July 1983, the Provisional Mass Transit Authority has extended the line to Yio Chu Kang, and the Phase 1A extended from Outram Park via Tiong Bahru, Redhill, Queenstown, Commonwealth, Buona Vista and Clementi stations, easing the loads at Ang Mo Kio.

On 12 June 1984, the contract was shortlisted for the construction of a viaduct from San Teng MRT station to Yio Chu Kang, together with Ang Mo Kio and Yio Chu Kang under Contract 102. This contract also specified that the stretch of Ang Mo Kio Street 53 all the way to Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8 would have to be permanently closed in 1985 and levelled, so that the railway could be laid on the ground level.

Ang Mo Kio was the second station on the North South line to receive MJ Air Tech high-volume low-speed fans. The fans were placed into service on 30 June 2012, along with those installed at Jurong East.

Installation of noise barriers from Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3 to Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5 is completed.

In 2029, this station will be a interchange with the Cross Island Line as part of Stage 1. It'll have a new code of CR11.

## Incidents

Ms Neo Shiea Chee, a 25-year-old teacher at Holy Innocents' High School, was run over by a southbound train at Ang Mo Kio MRT station shortly before 7pm on 11 January 2003 when she fell into the tracks and was crushed by an oncoming train. She was too engrossed in reading her book and was unaware that the train was already approaching the station. Trains were not disrupted as Ang Mo Kio station's northbound trains used the centre platform.

Trains were disrupted for twenty minutes at around 10.35 am on 20 August 2009 after a passenger went down the track just as the train was approaching the station. SMRT said that the passenger was later assisted out of the track and taken to the hospital for medical examination. Commuters who were affected were guided to the next available train.

Nitcharee Peneakchanasak, a 14-year-old Thai, was seriously injured and lost both her legs after she fell onto the track and was hit by a train at Ang Mo Kio on 3 April 2011. Peneakchanasak left Singapore on 13 June that year after recuperating in hospital. SMRT had reportedly offered the family S$5000 as compensation. The victim's father, rejected the compensation as her prosthetic legs will cost around S$100,000 and must be changed every three to five years.

After the news broke out, anonymous Singaporean donors donated S$250,000 for her medical rehabilitation expenses. At the same time, a Singaporean living in Hong Kong wanted to settle Peneakchanasak hospital bills in full, which amounted to about S$50,000. Her father decided to sue SMRT for S$3.4 million on 17th of that month, the amount equivalent to the price for the 20 pairs of prosthetic legs that Peneakchanasak will need in her lifetime.

On 20 June 2011, SMRT clarified that the money offered to Peneakchanasak was a gesture of goodwill and not compensation. The transport company said compensation would only be made after investigations had concluded. SMRT also said that the S$10,000 offered to her family to travel to Singapore when she was still in hospital was also a gesture of goodwill. In its defence papers on 1 September that year, the SMRT reiterates that all the safety warnings and precautions – such as the yellow lines – were in place and that the distance which the train travelled after the driver slammed on the brakes were within "safety specifications" and argues that Peneakchanasak "negligence" contributed to her falling "onto the tracks at the MRT station on her own accord". It also claimed that the girl was "aware of the danger of the oncoming trains and that by standing behind the yellow safety line until the train had stopped", she would have been reasonably safe from falling onto the tracks and pointed out that the girl had failed to keep a proper lookout for the oncoming train and take reasonable care of her own well-being despite knowing the risks of falling. It adds that she had failed to stand behind the yellow safety line until the train had stopped despite clear warning signs displayed at the MRT station.

Because of this accident, Mr Ang Hin Kee, MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC announced that Ang Mo Kio will be installed with the half-height platform screen doors on the platform by June, earlier than scheduled. Although it was announced to be completed by that month, it was delayed till 2 December that year before operations began.

On 17 August 2017, several commuters suffered from a two-hour delay along the North South line during the evening peak hour and hit by another disruption on 18 August 2017 which is due to the signalling fault.

On 5 February 2018, smoke was seen rising from an escalator heading towards the linkway to AMK Hub at around 1.20pm. While train service was not affected, the escalators were temporarily shut down due to safety checks, and the linkway was temporarily closed until 6.10pm. Preliminary investigations showed that the smoke came from overheated motor bearings in one of the faulty escalators. One SMRT staff was hospitalised for inhaling too much smoke.

## Exits

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(Basement 1)
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