There was drama at Raffles Place MRT station on Wednesday afternoon, when a man’s leg was trapped in the gap between the train and the platform, while he was trying to alight.



SMRT staff were informed of the incident, which happened on an east-bound train at Raffles Place at around 4:10pm, after an alert passenger had pressed the emergency communications button at the side of the train door.



According to a statement from the train operator, its staff managed to free the man with the help of another passenger after a few minutes. He was not injured, said an SMRT spokeswoman.



She added, “We offered ambulance assistance but the man declined, and continued with his journey after some rest.”



Wednesday’s incident, which caused a four-minute delay, follows another case on 1 June, when a woman escaped unhurt after she found herself in a similar predicament at Bugis Station.



According to SMRT, the gap between the train and the platforms measure 10cm in underground stations such as Raffles Place and Bugis, and about 7.5cm for above-ground stations, and are there to “accommodate the train’s movement”.



“The width we maintain in our system is one of the narrowest possible without compromising safety, and is necessary to accommodate the train’s movement,” the spokeswoman said. “We would like to remind passengers to mind the platform gap when they board or alight from the train.”























