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MORE practical drills for emergencies, such as on large-scale crowd control or when a train stalls in the tunnel, should be implemented.
That was what at least three SMRT station managers said yesterday, on the sixth day of the Committee of Inquiry (COI) hearing into last December's two major train breakdowns.
The managers, who were on duty when the disruptions occurred, told the committee that exercises should focus less on theory and more on the practical aspects of emergencies.
"We have a lot of table-top exercises... (Our superiors) will explain to us what we should do section by section, but...we have no hands-on (experience)," noted Mr Wong Kin Kwok, 36, a station manager at City Hall Station.
He said that such exercises, in which staff go through case studies and discuss solutions, usually take about 30 minutes to an hour at a time.
The committee's chairman, Chief District Judge Tan Siong Thye, asked the station managers what information was given to commuters at MRT stations to aid them in getting to their destinations 15 minutes to an hour into the disruptions.
"This period is critical. The problem is how to disperse the crowd... You need to defuse the situation because shuttle buses take about 45 minutes to be deployed," he said.
Mr Siak Wing Kin, 53, a station manager at Dhoby Ghaut Station, said public announcements were made to inform passengers of the disruption and that they had to use alternative routes on other lines.
But Judge Tan felt that this was not enough. He suggested giving out pre-prepared brochures containing extensive details on alternative bus routes to various destinations.
Mr Siak agreed that would work. He pointed out that parallel bus services along MRT lines should also be implemented daily, not just during train disruptions.
With such services in place, commuters would be aware of the existing alternative bus routes in the event of train disruptions, he added.
The issue of train tunnels not being lit brightly enough - despite the tunnel lights being on at the time - for passengers from stalled trains walking on the tracks to stations was raised yesterday.
Mr Siak said visibility was not an issue in the tunnel then as he could see the equipment around the track. He added that the tunnel lights have been left on round the clock since the December disruptions.
Previously, the lights were switched on only when trains were not operating.
However, COI member and Director of Prisons Soh Wai Wah noted that he had walked on the tunnel tracks with a group of 20 people, and said it was dim as the people around him blocked the lights and cast shadows.
Judge Tan added that there should be additional portable lights to brighten the tunnel.
joyfang@sph.com.sg
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Photos: 6,500 commuters affected by MRT train breakdowns in Dec
Click on thumbnail to view. Story continues after photos.
(Photos: ST, Stomp, TNP) |
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