SMRT: Hoax calls spread Monday evening false alarms

Southbound trains on the North-South Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line were slow and sometimes stalled on Monday morning, amid an otherwise business-as-usual start to the work week.

Between 9:45 and about 10:45am, commuters reported that trains all along the North-South Line experienced delays by between three and 10 minutes, with the first reported stalling believed to have occurred at about 9:45am.

23-year-old Jamuna Sundaraj was on her way to work in Raffles Place when the train she was on stalled for about 10 minutes between City Hall and Raffles Place stations.

"The driver said the train will be here for a few moments and the usual," said the account executive. "I knew it wouldn't be as bad as the situation last Thursday — or I was hoping — but the train only moved after about 10 minutes or so."

Promo producer Melvin Chen, 25, told Yahoo! Singapore that when the southbound train he was on stalled at around the same time, he feared a repeat of the three train disruptions that hit commuters last week.

"The ride took a little longer than usual, particularly with the 10-minute stalling between Dhoby Ghaut and City Hall," he said. "I'm just glad it didn't break down," he added, saying that the delay made him 10 minutes late for work.

Chen also noted that the crowds at Yio Chu Kang, Ang Mo Kio and Bishan were larger than usual, even for morning peak hour travel.

Other users on Twitter and Facebook reported similar delays at other stations along the North-South Line, although there have been no reports of stalling along other lines or northbound trains.

An SMRT spokesperson told Yahoo! Singapore that the stalling for above-ground stations such as Ang Mo Kio may have been caused by the rainy weather on Monday morning.

"Trains have to drive slower for safety reasons (due to the rain). This may have caused the delays for the above-ground parts of the line. There have been no reports of any line faults," the sp! okespers on said, explaining that trains on the underground parts of the line were consequently stalled as well.

Passengers on trains that were affected by the stalling were seen shaking their heads, heading back to their seats if they stood up to alight and making calls to inform their workplaces that they were held up.

"I'm not going to expect everything to be smooth-sailing and foolproof, and I understand (SMRT is) trying to do their best to find a solution to make the whole situation better, but on mornings like this when you're rushing to work, the inconvenience is still frustrating," said Jamuna.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced on Sunday that trains on the North-South and East West lines may suffer delays and slower travelling speeds after finding instances of dislodged "claws" at sections of tunnels in the city area.

As it continues investigations, the LTA instructed SMRT to monitor the train tracks, imposing a speed limit of 40km/h at affected areas where floating slab tracks have been installed.

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Panorama - April Fool's Day Hoax - Spaghetti Harvest - 1st April 1957

On April 1, 1957 the British television programme Panorama broadcast a three-minute segment about a bumper spaghetti harvest in southern Switzerland. The success of the crop was attributed both to an unusually mild winter and to the virtual disappearance of the spaghetti weevil. The audience heard Richard Dimbleby, the shows highly respected anchor, discussing the details of the spaghetti crop as they watched video footage of a Swiss family pulling pasta off spaghetti trees and placing it into baskets. The segment concluded with the assurance that, For those who love this dish, theres nothing like real, home-grown spaghetti. The Swiss Spaghetti Harvest hoax generated an enormous response. Hundreds of people phoned the BBC wanting to know how they could grow their own spaghetti tree. To this query the BBC diplomatically replied, Place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best. To this day the Panorama broadcast remains one of the most famous and popular April Fools Day hoaxes of all time. It is also believed to be the first time the medium of television was used to stage an April Fools Day hoax. Since 1955 Panorama had been anchored by Richard Dimbleby, whose authoritative, commanding presence had made him one of the most revered public figures in Britain. If Dimbleby said it, people trusted that it was true. Which is one of the reasons why the spaghetti harvest hoax fooled so many viewers. His participation lent the hoax an air of unimpeachable ...

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