Kembangan MRT station is an above-ground Mass Rapid Transit station on the East West Line in Bedok, Singapore. Built at the junction of Sims Ave East and Jalan Kembangan, part of the station stands directly above the Siglap Canal. The name Kembangan means “expansion” in Malay.
History
On 16 March 1997, Sunday at 8.15 am, a man in his late 60s leapt down from the platform and was believed to have died instantly as a west-bound train approached travelling at 50 km per hour. The impact threw him against the side of the tracks, and he sustained serious head injuries, a fractured left arm and a severed right foot. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 10.55 am. An SMRT spokesman said that the train was operated through an automated system, and all trains approaching the waiting area would have reduced their speed automatically. By 11 am, the entire area had been cordoned off. None of the 300 commuters on board the train was hurt as it made an emergency stop at 10.17 am. For two hours, all train services between Eunos and Tanah Merah were discontinued to allow cleaners to clear the tracks. Commuters affected were being directed to a nearby bus stop. On 8 October 2010, Friday at about 7 pm, passengers on board a westbound MRT train were evacuated on Friday evening at this station after smoke was detected in one of its carriages. An announcement was made for passengers to alight at Kembangan station and wait for the next train. As with most of the above-ground stations built in the past along the East West Line, it was built without platform screen doors. After several successful test at Jurong East, Yishun and Pasir Ris and eventually, installation of the half-height screen doors to prevent commuters from falling onto the train tracks. Installation started in December 2010 and the platform screen doors started operations on 25 February 2011 with Kallang. This station is also installed with high-volume low-speed fans, which started operating 14 July 2012, together with Paya Lebar station. Privacy screens were installed from Kembangan MRT station to Lorong Mydin to minimise noise impact from residents, from September 2016. In 2017, the Minister for TransportKhaw Boon Wan revealed that 2 out of 4 of the station's water pumps were not maintained.
