No One Seemed to Notice That A Rat Was Scurrying in an NEL MRT Train

Last Updated on 2023-08-22 , 12:24 pm

Snakes on a plane! Wait, no, instead of snakes, it is rats.

And instead of planes, it is the MRT trains in Singapore.

Yes, you read that correctly. Our MRT trains have rats.

A rat was spotted running amok in one of the North East Line (NEL) trains earlier this month.

Here’s what happened.

Rat Spotted Scurrying in NEL Train Carriage

Rats! There is a rat on the train.

Earlier this Saturday (12 August 2023), some passengers spotted a rat running around the NEL train carriage.

The incident occurred around 8 pm in the evening.

According to a reader surnamed Luo (Hanyu pinyin), who spoke to Zaobao, the reader saw the rat frantically running around the NEL carriage.

Footage showed the rat making a chaotic round in the train.

Interestingly enough, the passengers around were all engrossed in their phones and did not look like they noticed the rat, even though it ran near their feet.

Yikes! Perhaps we will be avoiding the purple line from now on.

It was not clear how the rat made it into the train.

Apart from explaining the situation at hand, Luo also raised concerns about the hygiene and cleanliness of trains since rats were found on the trains.

Luo expressed the desire for the relevant health authorities to take steps to check on this incident to prevent it from worsening.

The reader also expressed what all of us must have thought upon reading this article’s headline—how can the ever-clean and sparkling Singapore have rats?

If we hazard a guess, this rat was paving the way for Jerry (from the cartoon Tom and Jerry) to make an appearance in the Singapore edition of the beloved cartoon.

Approach the MRT Staff for Help if You See Rats on the Train

Well then, what should you do if you see a rat on the train?

The spokesperson for SBS Transit revealed some answers.

Chen Gui Zhen (Hanyu pinyin) responded to the queries from Zaobao, saying that passengers are reminded not to eat and drink on buses and trains to ensure their cleanliness.

This was crucial so that pests are not attracted to public transport vehicles.

According to Chen, passengers should inform the MRT staff within the train carriages or at the train stations if they find themselves faced with such an unruly situation.

The staff will be able to provide assistance.

Unfortunately, Chen did not provide any further details about how SBS Transit intends to remedy this issue or the precautionary measures it would take in the future.