SINGAPORE: A train captain in his 20s was injured after lightning struck the MRT train he was driving towards the Bedok station on late Monday afternoon.
He is in a stable condition, according to a Changi General Hospital spokesperson on Tuesday. The spokesperson declined to give further details, citing a need to preserve the patient’s confidentiality and privacy.
The train captain was warded for observations at the hospital on Monday night, according to SMRT, which also did not give details on the nature of his injuries.
"SMRT is in touch with the train captain and his family, as well as the doctors," the transport operator said.
A spokesperson for the Meteorological Service Singapore told TODAY there was lightning over the northern, central and eastern parts of Singapore between 2pm and 6pm on Monday.
At around 3.37pm, a "cloud-to-ground lightning stroke" was detected close to the Tanah Merah MRT station, the spokesperson added.
SMRT said in an earlier statement that it was investigating the incident as a "possible lightning strike".
The westbound train the captain had been driving stalled as it was approaching the Bedok MRT station after 4pm. He complained of feeling unwell after passengers were asked to alight at the Bedok station, and the train withdrawn from service for investigation.
Train services between Tanah Merah and Paya Lebar stations were reportedly delayed by about 10 minutes following the incident.
Commuters and those working in the area recalled seeing an intense lightning storm in the area at that time.
“The winds were so strong that it constantly pushed open the (glass) doors of the store,” said Richard Pablo, 31, a store manager at the Bedok Mall, which is located across the MRT station.
Brian Lee, an 18-year-old student who was waiting for a train at the Eunos station, recalled seeing a "not-for-boarding" message on the platform display screens for a train travelling towards Pasir Ris at that time.
This is not the first time such an incident has occurred. On May 11, 2016, an SMRT train on the North-South Line was hit by lightning, disrupting southbound services from Yishun to Yio Chu Kang stations.
On May 11, 2016, an SMRT train on the North-South Line was hit by lightning, disrupting southbound services from Yishun to Yio Chu Kang stations.
SMRT said its trains are protected by a “Faraday Cage”, an enclosure formed by conductive material that blocks electric fields and electric currents such as lightning strikes.
It added: "The cage conducts current around the outside of the enclosed space with none passing through the interior.
"If lightning strikes, the electric current will travel through the outside shell of the train, not through the cabin, and pass through the wheels to the track. The train is grounded to the track."
This is the latest incident that has plagued the beleaguered rail operator in recent months. Last week, 38 people were injured following a collision between two trains at Joo Koon station. -- Today Online
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