Novena MRT Station Closed After Smoke Detected by Station Staff, Commuters Evacuated

Novena MRT Station Closed Due to an Incident: SMRT. (Image: Screengrab from SGTrains)

Novena MRT station on the North-South Line (NSL) was temporarily closed during the evening peak hours on Friday (Oct 27) after station staff had detected smoke inside the station.

During the incident, all NSL trains passed through the station without stopping, and commuters were evacuated as a precaution.

The station has since been reopened for passenger service at around 7:30pm, about two hours after the first broadcasted alert from the rail operator.

Incident Forces Closure of Novena MRT Station

NS 20 Novena MRT Station

“Novena MRT station closed… got smoke and burnt rubber smell…” (Image: Screengrab from @garygaryocp/TikTok)

SMRT alerted on social media at 5:49pm that Novena MRT station is currently closed “due to an incident” and that all trains would pass through the station without stopping.

At 6:28pm, the rail operator said its Novena MRT station staff had “detected smoke inside the station” at around 5:35pm and that the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) had been activated.

“For the safety of our commuters, they have been evacuated and the station was closed. Train services on the North-South Line remain available but are skipping Novena station in both directions,” said SMRT.

At 7:18pm, after preliminary investigations done by SMRT and SCDF, it was determined that a failed motor of the Air Handling Unit (AHU) system was the source of the white smoke at the station concourse.

The AHU system is a large commercial central air-conditioning system.

SMRT has since isolated the AHU system, and its engineers will conduct further investigations.

At 7:29pm, SMRT notified that Novena MRT station has since reopened for passenger service.

Related Links
North-South Line – SGTrains
Train Service Status – SGTrains

External Links
“[UPDATE on Novena station on the North-South Line, 27 Oct, at 7.37pm]:” – SMRT/Facebook [Accessed 27 Oct 2023]
“[Incident @ Novena MRT Station]” – SCDF/Facebook [Accessed 27 Oct 2023]
“05:49 PM – [NSL]: Due to an incident, Novena station is closed. All trains will not stop at Novena station in both directions.” – SMRT/Facebook [Accessed 27 Oct 2023]
“该地铁站目前关闭了…可能隧道里有火?” – @garygaryocp/TikTok [Accessed 27 Oct 2023]

Images: Screengrab from SGTrains, Screengrab from @garygaryocp/TikTok.
This article first appeared on SGTrains.
Last updated on 27 Oct 2023.