Bukit Batok MRT Station
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Bukit Batok MRT Station (NS2) is an above-ground Mass Rapid Transit station on the North South Line in Singapore. The station serves mainly residents of the Bukit Batok neighbourhood. The station house shops such as supermarket chain NTUC Fairprice.
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The normally quiet station was the scene of two incidents of people falling onto the MRT tracks in 2004. The spate of incidents at various above-ground stations with three suicides and two accidents and one fatal which raised concerns about the safety of above-ground MRT stations. Some members of the public called on the SMRT Corporation to improve safety.
The first incident involved a SAF Warrant Officer Richard Chua, who fell onto the tracks at about 1.50pm SST on 14 August 2004 and was hit by a train heading to Jurong East. His toes were crushed and he also suffered cuts to his head and body, but he survived and was warded at the National University Hospital. An investigation concluded that there was no foul play. Services between the Choa Chu Kang and Jurong East stations were disrupted for some 45 minutes as Mr. Chua was rescued by Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) officers. SMRT Corporation deployed 12 buses to ferry some 4,000 passengers travelling between these stations.
The second incident took place on 31 August 2004, also at about 1.50pm SST, when Madam Low Suan Choo fell off the platform and was hit by an oncoming train heading to Jurong East. She suffered multiple fractures and was pronounced dead at the scene. This time SMRT deployed 19 buses to ferry some 5,000 passengers affected by the service disruption. Member of Parliament for Jurong GRC, Dr. Ong Chit Chung, visited the station shortly after and expressed his belief that some form of safety barrier at above-ground stations, or an additional yellow line to warn passengers of the platform edge, would have a reassuring effect. According to a court inquiry heard on 3 November 2004, Madam Low had had suicidal thoughts and had tried to kill herself just the day before. The state coroner ruled that her death had been a suicide. [1]
On the 11th of January 2007, continuous heavy rainfall in Singapore caused soil near the MRT tunnel exit facing Bukit Batok Station heading towards Jurong East to loosen which caused a landslide. Trains were forced to slow down and be cautious near the site since the incident as SMRT hired contractors to stabilize the soil there. As a result, just like the incident at Serangoon MRT Station, trains between Bukit Batok and Bukit Gombak stations have to pass by the tunnel at the lower speed.
Links within Bukit Batok and Bukit Gombak, and to other parts of Singapore are available at the nearby Bukit Batok Bus Interchange. The following bus services pass by the bus stops along Bukit Batok Central:
- ^ "MRT track patrol against death by MRT track", Virtual Tourist, 16 September 2004.
| Preceding station | Mass Rapid Transit Lines | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jurong East | North South MRT Line | Bukit Gombak | ||
