An MRT train parked in a sprawling Changi depot last month was hit with garish graffiti in what constitutes a serious security breach in a restricted area.

The Straits Times reports that the vandal is believed to have sneaked into the depot by overcoming a series of barriers, including fences topped with barbed wire. Once inside, he spray-painted elaborate graffiti on one side of the train across a carriage.

The culprit is believed to be a 33-year-old Swiss national who cut his way through a fence along Xilin Avenue.

He spent several minutes spraying the graffiti before slipping off undetected. He was eventually arrested about a week after the incident was first reported to the police on May 19.

It is not known if MRT staff spotted the graffiti-painted train, but it plied its route for some time in full view of commuters on the day of the incident.

One commuter even recorded video footage of the train pulling out of Kembangan station and posted it on Youtube.



The practice of spraying trains can be traced to New York in the 1970s, when modern graffiti artists broke into subway yards to “hit trains”, usually on the sides of the cars.

Vandalism aside, the issue has raised serious concerns about security in a restricted area. This is especially so in light of recent reports that Orchard MRT station was a target for terrorist attacks.

The station was circled on a map of the Singapore MRT network that was found in the home of an Indonesian terror suspect who had been killed by security forces.

Dr John Harrison, a specialist in terrorism research at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, said the incident served as an important wake-up call to review existing security systems.

“It could have been a (potentially) very serious situation. An individual with knowledge of the system and intent to disrupt or damage it could do much, much worse,” he adds.

Singapore authorities have stepped up security on public transport networks in recent years. More cameras and are going up at bus interchanges and train stations and videos urging commuters to report suspicious items have also been screened.

Last August, a new police department was set up to secure Singapore’s public transport network against criminals and terrorists.

And yet, the breach of security at Changi depot definitely raises questions about the level of security in Singapore’s public transport system and how vulnerable we might be to a potential threat.

26-year-old Samuel Lee told Yahoo! Singapore, “If even an amateur graffiti vandal could break through security barriers at the depot, it’s definitely going to be a piece of cake for someone planning an attack.”