A 39-year-old man was detained by the Singapore police on Sunday in connection to a temporary shutdown at Hougang MRT station due to an unattended bag.
SBS Transit, the public transport operator, announced through Twitter that all trains on the North-East Line were skipping Hougang MRT station due to a "security incident". However, no other details were provided.
02/04, 3.06pm: All trains on the NEL will skip NE14 HGN Station due to a security incident. Free passing bus from NE12 SER to NE15 BGK.
— SBS Transit (@SBSTransit_Ltd) April 2, 2017
The police have confirmed on Facebook that the unattended bag was checked but they have not found anything suspicious in it. Earlier, the police had advised members of the public to avoid the area. "We commend the SBST staff for their alertness," police said.
According to reports, the commuters were turned away from the MRT station before it was shuttered at about 3.45 pm. But, shortly after the incident the train station was re-opened and the service resumed at around 4 pm.
"At about 2.40pm, a luggage bag was found unattended on the boarding platform of the Hougang North-East Line MRT station," a spokesperson for SBS Transit told Channel NewsAsia.
"For the safety of all passengers, trains were made to bypass Hougang station and police were alerted. At close to 4.00pm, the bag was opened and its contents found to be non-dangerous. Train service resumed at 4.03pm at Hougang station," the spokesperson added.
