LTA to implement security measures at train facilities

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is taking steps to enhance security at train facilities, including installation of security screens at selected overhead pedestrian bridges next to MRT tracks and fences to make it harder for intruders to gain access to the tracks.

It has called a tender for anti-climb barriers last month, which will be built at the Redhill MRT station. To be installed at the top of the Redhill MRT tunnel portal, these three-metre tall barriers will be topped with razor blades to prevent intruders from climbing down onto the tracks.

The LTA said that Redhill MRT station is the first station to roll out these new installations, and similar barriers will be installed at other stations thereafter - although no specified station has been mentioned.

Since 2003, a total of 177 track intrusions on the MRT network have been recorded. In 2012, a man in his 20s was found dead beside the tracks in the tunnel between the Redhill and Tiong Bahru stations. The latest incident was in February last year, when an elderly man was found lying on the elevated tracks close to the Expo station.

The LTA is also looking to install security screens at selected overhead pedestrian bridges next to MRT tracks. These screens are designed to prevent foreign objects from being thrown onto the tracks. Although there have not been any such cases, the LTA said it is taking pre-emptive measures.