LTA probes Segar LRT safety and response measures after fatal track fall of 68-year-old man

SINGAPORE: The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on 22 May 2026 that it was investigating its safety measures and incident response processes after a 68-year-old man fell onto the LRT track at Segar station and died. 

According to CNA, The investigation will “look into the adequacy and appropriateness of safety measures and incident response processes”, said an LTA spokesperson.

“Based on investigation findings, further improvements will be made as needed to improve commuter safety,” they added.

According to authorities, the victim, Mr Loh Hee Chen was seen to have fallen in front of an oncoming train at about 5am on Monday. 

The Singapore Civil Defence Force said it received a call for assistance related to the incident at about 6.25am.

The incident is also under police investigation. 

Holland-Bukit Timah MP Edward Chia, who attended Mr Loh's wake, said his son had raised questions regarding the incident. 

"I have assured him that I will follow up on the matters raised with the relevant agencies, as we await the outcome of the police investigation," he said in a Facebook post on Wednesday. 

LTA said that, along with rail operators, it recognised the risk of falls onto MRT and LRT tracks. 

Unlike MRT stations, LRT stations do not have platform screen doors. Instead, stations have fixed barriers with gaps between them for passengers to enter and exit the train.

Screen doors cannot be installed at unmanned LRT stations due to physical limitations, said the LTA spokesperson. 

“Platform screen doors must be integrated with train signalling systems to ensure that the train doors and platform screen doors open and close in sync," they said. 

"If doors operate out of sync, this may cause further safety risks,” said the spokesperson. For example, they pointed out that screen doors could open when trains are not at the platform.

“As our LRT platforms are much smaller than MRT platforms, there is insufficient space to install equipment and cabling to support platform screen doors that can operate in sync with train doors, without substantially affecting the space available for commuters," they said. 

LTA and rail operators continued to explore new technology solutions to overcome this constraint, the spokesperson added. 

“More recently, LTA and rail operators have also adopted systems using artificial intelligence and video analytics to raise an immediate alert when persons move past the fixed barriers and enter LRT tracks," they said. 

SMRT installed such a system, iSafe, at stations along the Bukit Panjang LRT service in 2023, said LTA. Segar station, where Monday's fatal incident occurred, lies on the Bukit Panjang LRT line.

A similar system has also been installed for the Sengkang-Punggol LRT line, the LTA spokesperson said.

Earlier, the victim 30-year-old son In an interview with Shin Min Daily News, questioned platform safety gaps, emergency stop systems and the timeline between the estimated fall at around 5am and later notifications to police and SCDF.

The victim, Loh, is a school operations manager at a primary school in Sengkang.

The victim’s son raised four concerns following the incident, questioning whether gaps between LRT platform barriers were wide enough to pose a fall risk and whether trains had systems to detect people or objects on the tracks and trigger automatic braking.

He also asked if station emergency stop buttons could immediately halt incoming trains. In addition, he sought clarification on what happened between the estimated time of the fall at about 5am and the later notifications made to police and the SCDF.

Police said they received a call for assistance at about 5.50am on 18 May.

Investigations showed the man was seen falling onto the track in front of an oncoming train at about 5am.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the incident at about 6.25am.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene by an SCDF paramedic.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that at about 5am, a man was seen to have fallen onto the track in front of an oncoming train,” police said, adding that they do not suspect foul play and investigations are ongoing.

The incident caused a disruption to train services on the Bukit Panjang LRT line on 18 May for about four hours. 

SMRT Trains president Lam Sheau Kai said the operator’s Care Team had contacted the victim’s family.

“Our Care Team has reached out to the family during this difficult time. We thank commuters for their patience and understanding,” Lam said.

He added that SMRT would continue assisting police with investigations.