Skip to main content

Nerve-racking experience in a Singapore MRT train break down | essay for 9 year olds | Elijah Wee | Singapore

I did the following essay "Nerve-racking experience in a Singapore MRT train breakdown" during my December holidays when I was in Primary Three (9 years old).



“Finally, we are headed for home!” Amos and his sister Jane thought to themselves. They had dutifully accompanied their mother, Mrs Tan to City Hall to do some shopping. They were heading home. Their mode of transport was the eastbound MRT train.

When Amos, Jane and Mrs Tan entered one of the MRT carriages, they located three vacant seats. They immediately sat down. As the MRT train pulled out of the station and headed for the other stations, more and more commuters boarded it. Fifteen minutes into what was a smooth ride, the train screeched to a jerking halt, startling everyone inside it. Following that, the carriages were plunged into total darkness. The only light came from the mobile phones. The air was suffocating inside the carriage, which resulted in many commuters gasping for air. “Calm down. Everything will be alright,” Mrs Tan assured Amos and Jane, However, fear engulfed them as they trembled.

In the meantime, several commuters silently muttered a prayer while a young woman leaned back against her seat as she experienced nausea. Her heart was gripped with anxiety. Beads of perspiration dotted a middle-aged man’s forehead. He shifted uncomfortably and started to twist his fingers in sheer nervousness. A few minutes later, he took out a handkerchief to wipe his beads of perspiration off from his wrinkly forehead. Trying to lighten the mood, Mrs Tan told Amos and Jane some jokes.

It felt like eternity before the arrival of the Singapore Civil Defence officers. They sprang into action immediately. The doors were pried open forcefully and this was done to provide ventilation. Commuters were evacuated from the train and brought to the nearest train station. The next hour saw more Civil Defence teams helping out with the evacuation of the other commuters in the other carriages. Police officers were on had too and the began their preliminary investigations after interviewing some of the commuters.

A few days after the incident Channel News Asia (CNA) and the Straits Times reported on the cause of the blackout. It was the result of a damaged power rail between CityHall and Dhoby Ghaut MRT stations. This caused the service disruption on the North-South line. Lights had gone off and ventilation was inadequate in some trains. Service on the North-bound and South-bound trains resumed four hours later on that day.

It was indeed a nerve-racking experience for everyone who had experienced the incident, especially Amos and Jane. It is for this reason that they hardly make use of the MRT trains these days as a mode of transport.

Have you had a similar experience before, like stuck in a tunnel?

By the way, if you like this essay, you may like to read:


See you again soon,
Elijah Wee, Singapore

Photo credit: ohhector / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Stuck in the lift | Short essay, story for kids | Elijah Wee | Singapore

"Stuck in the lift" - an experience I am sure a number of you may be able to relate to ... but in this particular case though, it was a little worse than the usual one ...              Brave.             I had always thought I was brave. As brave as a lion. Not fearful of anything.             Until the lift had broken down.             I was waiting patiently for the lift doors to open. A mother and her daughter waited patiently. The mother, clad in a light blue dress made of best quality material, clutched her daughter’s hand. Her lustrous blond hair cascaded down her well-toned shoulders. My innermost thoughts were soon jolted by the familiar mechanical sound of the lift’s doors opening. If only I had reconsidered taking the stairs … ...

An Act of Bravery | Essay for kids | Elijah Wee | Singapore

"An act of bravery"  was an essay I wrote and was featured recently :-) Hope you like it.             Davin’s act of bravery was certainly admirable.             “Class, this is the new student, Davin Chang. Please welcome him as our new addition!” Mrs Phua, our teacher, informed everyone in her usual chirpy voice. Shooting a look at him, I instantly made a silent decision never to befriend him. Davin was as skinny as a twig and looked shy. What’s more, his school uniform was as old as the hill, indicating that he was probably living in extreme poverty. All of us must have shared the same thoughts, for everyone seemed to look at him in utter disgust. From that day onwards, we made an “oath” - never to befriend him. After all, why bother befriending Davin when he was poor and looked like a rodent?           ...

An act of kindness | Essay for Primary School kids | Elijah Wee | Singapore

" An act of kindness" , a essay I wrote earlier in Primary 4 (10 years old) ...           School was over.          “Mountains and mountains of homework! Why do our teachers have to give us so much homework these days?” lamented Jason as he trudged home with heavy footsteps on the pavement. His schoolbag weighed like a ton of bricks. Jason felt that sooner or later he would collapse because of the heavy weight! Jason’s face was as glum as an oyster and he was not in the best of moods.          However, Jason’s mood was soon destined to be changed.          At that juncture, from the corner of his deep-set eyes, Jason spotted an old man hobbling past him. He was a tall shrivelled person who looked as though all body juices had been dried out of him long ago in a hot oven. On his feet, he wore worn-out leather ...