Khaw Boon Wan apologises for train collision at Joo Koon station: "It's been an awful day"

Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan apologised to commuters for the train collision at Joo Koon MRT Station on Wednesday morning (Nov 5) that left 29 injured.

Speaking after a joint press conference held by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and SMRT, Mr Khaw explained that he was just as upset as the commuters. 

Mr Khaw said:

“It’s an awful day.”

He continued:

“Commuters were inconvenienced and some were even injured. So we are deeply sorry for that. Those who were injured and are in hospitals, the Second Minister, Ng Chee Meng as well as Senior Minister of State for Transport, Dr Lam visited all of them. 

“They have been most understanding and we are deeply grateful.”

According to The Straits Times, when reporters asked if there would be a Committee of Inquiry for the incident, Mr Khaw said that this could be determined as the investigation progresses, adding that if the facts surrounding the incident are clear, there would be no need for one.

To enable system provider, Thales, to do a thorough check, Mr Khaw also asked SMRT and LTA to suspend train service between Joo Koon and Tuas Link today (Nov 16). 

Mr Khaw confirmed that this was the first major incident involving the new signalling system, adding:

“Thales is confident of the system and I advised the team, ‘lets play doubly safe’- safety is involved. 

“That’s why I advised them to suspend the Tuas West Extension tomorrow. 

“Then we have a whole day to do a thorough check before we resume the Tuas West extension.”