๐ช๐ฒ ๐ ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐ก๐ผ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฎ ๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐ธ๐ถ๐ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ป๐ท๐ฎ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฅ๐ง ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐๐๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ง๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฃ๐๐ฏ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ช๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ผ๐๐๐น๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฑ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฎ ๐๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐
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๐ช๐ฒ ๐ ๐ถ๐ด๐ต๐ ๐ก๐ผ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฎ ๐๐ถ๐ณ๐ฒ ๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐ธ๐ถ๐ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ป๐ท๐ฎ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฅ๐ง ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ง๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ ๐๐๐๐ต๐ผ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐ง๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ป ๐ฃ๐๐ฏ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ ๐ช๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ผ๐๐๐น๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฑ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ฎ ๐๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ๐๐ด๐ต๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐
My RDU West team and I visited the Segar LRT Station where Mr Loh Hee Chen died a day ago. What went wrong? We needed to find out. We also paid our respects to his family at the wake the day after. But after doing all that I was at a loss as to how to talk about this incident properly. I was upset. I was angry. Because this was a totally avoidable tragedy. It was a tragedy in the making for more than 15 years. The signs were all there.
From 2010 onwards, LTA’s own figures show an average of about three LRT track intrusions every year – roughly 50 in total – even after barriers and other “safeguards” were put in. In 2015, the decision was made to roll out glass and steel barriers at all LRT stations but to leave actual platform doors out, so the gaps to the tracks remained. Later, they said AI‑powered video analytics would be deployed to “capture events” and prevent accidents. Let me say that again: AI to prevent accidents.
The public were surprised. Many were shocked. Some wrote in to the press to say that AI cannot stop someone from falling onto the tracks. One even predicted – three years ago – that someone might become unconscious and fall onto the tracks and AI would do nothing, absolutely nothing, to prevent it.
People also questioned LTA’s line that there is “insufficient space” on LRT platforms for screen doors and that signal controls, cables and power needs make doors too cumbersome. They pointed to existing technology in Japan, even at platform areas with severe space constraints, where walls and columns are as little as 1.5m from the train doors and yet platform screen doors are still installed.
All these pleas seemed to fall on deaf ears. And I cannot shake-off the suspicion that the unspoken reason, the real reason no one wants to say out loud, is cost. LRTs were sold from day one as a “cost‑effective” transport solution. Maybe proper platform doors were simply deemed too expensive. If so, what is the price tag that has been put on a human life?
Any system that consistently puts dollars and cents above the lives of human beings is an evil power.
Then I chanced upon Edward Chia Bing Hui ่ฐข็ง่พ’s post about the incident, and I got even more frustrated. Why? Because it reads like performance.
In all the years he has been MP for Holland‑Bukit Timah GRC, how often has he spoken up about LRT safety? I checked. Once. And even then, he asked the Transport Minister about the “learning points” from a malfunctioning network switch – after the incident had already happened. “Learning points”, after the fact.
Today he says he is arranging emergency funds for the family. That is good. I have spoken to them. They have lost their main breadwinner. They are distraught. Some funds to tide over will help.
But what they really want are answers. They know the power asymmetry between themselves, SMRT, LTA and those in government. They know their voice is smaller. They wonder if justice will ever be done. Will it?
Will an MP who has never seriously fought for safety on the LRT – the main public transport lifeline for residents in the area – now suddenly follow up diligently with the authorities so that the family gets justice? Will he fight for his residents and insist on that blasted barrier, on real doors and real protection, instead of another round of polite “learning points”?
I hope he does. If he truly fights for them, I will eat my words about his response being performative.
In the meantime, I have written to the Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow （่งๆฏ็ฅฅ） for answers, and copied LTA and SMRT. My team and I will stand with Mr Loh’s family. We will push for answers. We will do what we can to get those platform doors up, and to change the conditions that made this tragedy possible.
Because a force for good will never treat human beings as collateral in a cost‑saving exercise. And for me, I want to make sure no one else has to die this way.
My RDU West team and I visited the Segar LRT Station where Mr Loh Hee Chen died a day ago. What went wrong? We needed to find out. We also paid our respects to his family at the wake the day after. But after doing all that I was at a loss as to how to talk about this incident properly. I was upset. I was angry. Because this was a totally avoidable tragedy. It was a tragedy in the making for more than 15 years. The signs were all there.
From 2010 onwards, LTA’s own figures show an average of about three LRT track intrusions every year – roughly 50 in total – even after barriers and other “safeguards” were put in. In 2015, the decision was made to roll out glass and steel barriers at all LRT stations but to leave actual platform doors out, so the gaps to the tracks remained. Later, they said AI‑powered video analytics would be deployed to “capture events” and prevent accidents. Let me say that again: AI to prevent accidents.
The public were surprised. Many were shocked. Some wrote in to the press to say that AI cannot stop someone from falling onto the tracks. One even predicted – three years ago – that someone might become unconscious and fall onto the tracks and AI would do nothing, absolutely nothing, to prevent it.
People also questioned LTA’s line that there is “insufficient space” on LRT platforms for screen doors and that signal controls, cables and power needs make doors too cumbersome. They pointed to existing technology in Japan, even at platform areas with severe space constraints, where walls and columns are as little as 1.5m from the train doors and yet platform screen doors are still installed.
All these pleas seemed to fall on deaf ears. And I cannot shake-off the suspicion that the unspoken reason, the real reason no one wants to say out loud, is cost. LRTs were sold from day one as a “cost‑effective” transport solution. Maybe proper platform doors were simply deemed too expensive. If so, what is the price tag that has been put on a human life?
Any system that consistently puts dollars and cents above the lives of human beings is an evil power.
Then I chanced upon Edward Chia Bing Hui ่ฐข็ง่พ’s post about the incident, and I got even more frustrated. Why? Because it reads like performance.
In all the years he has been MP for Holland‑Bukit Timah GRC, how often has he spoken up about LRT safety? I checked. Once. And even then, he asked the Transport Minister about the “learning points” from a malfunctioning network switch – after the incident had already happened. “Learning points”, after the fact.
Today he says he is arranging emergency funds for the family. That is good. I have spoken to them. They have lost their main breadwinner. They are distraught. Some funds to tide over will help.
But what they really want are answers. They know the power asymmetry between themselves, SMRT, LTA and those in government. They know their voice is smaller. They wonder if justice will ever be done. Will it?
Will an MP who has never seriously fought for safety on the LRT – the main public transport lifeline for residents in the area – now suddenly follow up diligently with the authorities so that the family gets justice? Will he fight for his residents and insist on that blasted barrier, on real doors and real protection, instead of another round of polite “learning points”?
I hope he does. If he truly fights for them, I will eat my words about his response being performative.
In the meantime, I have written to the Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow （่งๆฏ็ฅฅ） for answers, and copied LTA and SMRT. My team and I will stand with Mr Loh’s family. We will push for answers. We will do what we can to get those platform doors up, and to change the conditions that made this tragedy possible.
Because a force for good will never treat human beings as collateral in a cost‑saving exercise. And for me, I want to make sure no one else has to die this way.
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— at Segar LRT Station.
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