Mass Rapid Transit :: SINGAPORE ::

Disability Features

All MRT stations have been installed with disability facilities as of 2006. These include lifts, ramps, wide fare gates, a tactile guidance system and handicapped-friendly toilets.

For elevated stations, the tactile path starts right at the ramp entrance to the station and brings the visually-handicapped through the wide fare gate and into the lift at the concourse level. The tactile path may diverge at the concourse level to lead to the handicapped-friendly toilet or passenger service centre. Upon exiting from the lift at the platform level, the tactile path will lead them to a designated waiting area near the doors of the train which are nearest to the lift, where they will wait to board the train. In elevated stations where platform screen doors are not installed, tactile studs are also installed along the entire stretch of the platform edge in addition to a yellow line to warn them not to get too close to the edge.

For underground stations, the tactile path starts at the ramp entrance to the station and brings the visually-handicapped into the lift and down onto the concourse level, where the path may diverge towards the passenger service centre or the handicapped-friendly toilet. From there, the path continues past the wide fare gate and into another lift which brings them onto the platform level. The path leads them to a series of platform screen doors nearest to the lift, where they will wait to board the train.

The older stations on the North South Line and East West Line were not installed with wide fare gates when they were first built in the 1980s and 1990s. From April 2002 however, wide fare gates have been progressively installed in all MRT stations as part of a programme to make it easier for those with bulky items such as luggage and prams to get to and from the platforms, especially since the MRT had been extended to Changi Airport to serve air travellers. This programme was also introduced to retrofit all MRT stations with disabled-friendly facilities, allowing the wheelchair-handicapped to be able to access the MRT. The programme has since been completed. Each station has been equipped with at least one wide fare gate, with gates in selected stations such as Changi Airport station having all of the wide variety.

The older stations on the North South Line and East West Line also did not have barrier-free facilities such as lifts and ramps incorporated into their designs. As of 2006, all stations have been retrofitted with barrier-free facilities as part of a programme to make all MRT stations accessible to the elderly and the handicapped.

OTIS is the supplier for the lifts at Changi Airport station and the ones at stations on the North East Line, while Chevailer who is the distributor for Toshiba elevators in Singapore supplies lifts for all other stations on the North South Line and East West Line. These lifts typically have a capacity for 15 passengers with a total load of 1000kg, although those at interchanges or busy stations are designed with a larger handling capacity. The lifts feature Braille plates on lift buttons, audio announcements & LED displays.

Handicapped-friendly toilets are present at every MRT station to make it easier for the elderly and the handicapped to use the toilet. There are grab poles and other handicapped-friendly facilities installed to help them move about in the toilet. The toilet has also more space for the wheelchair-handicapped to move, allowing them to have more convinience and ease when using the toilet.

These disability features of MRT stations significantly help Singapore solve its ageing population problem by allowing the elderly and the handicapped to move about easily and be able to take public transport around the island. MRT stations are now accessible to one and all, with the implementation of disability facilities in the stations.

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