FILE PHOTO: SMRT staff advising the members of public during the breakdown at platform area of Thomson-East Coast Line Outram Park MRT station on Sept 17. - ST/ANN
SINGAPORE: A new task force comprising senior leaders from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and rail operators SMRT and SBS Transit, as well as technical experts from the industry, will be formed to find immediate solutions to improve rail reliability and responses to service disruptions.
This comes after a spate of at least 15 separate rail disruptions hit the MRT and LRT network over the past three months, with the latest involving the suspension of train services on the Thomson-East Coast Line during the morning peak on Sept 17.
The new task force will report its findings regularly to Acting Minister for Transport Jeffrey Siow and submit its final recommendations by the end of 2025, said LTA and rail operators SMRT and SBS Transit in a joint statement on Sept 19.
It will be chaired by LTA chief executive Ng Lang, and include SMRT group chief executive Ngien Hoon Ping, who was previously LTA chief, as well as SBS Transit’s group chief executive Jeffrey Sim.
The task force will review the recent incidents that have led to service disruptions, to identify components that may require replacement, upgrading or increased maintenance.
The renewal programme for the SBS Transit-run North East Line’s (NEL) power system will also be brought forward, and the task force will review ways to strengthen the signalling system for the NEL and Circle Line in the short term before renewal is due.
The task force will also jointly carry out full technical audits of the maintenance and operations of critical systems, and look into how to reduce the impact of service delays on passengers.
This includes reviewing service recovery processes and training regimes for officers on the ground.
In a Facebook post on Sept 19, Siow said he has asked LTA to share more information with the public on the authority’s ongoing investigations into the rail disruptions, as well as the steps that are being taken to address them.
“By keeping the public updated, I hope you can better understand the challenges and know that we are fully committed to keeping the network safe and reliable,” he added.
Siow said he has given LTA the task of working with SMRT and SBS Transit to speed up asset upgrades, conduct technical audits on critical parts of the rail system and improve service recovery procedures.
“I know commuters are frustrated when disruptions occur, especially after a period over the last few years when our rail reliability has been at a high level. Train systems are complex – many things can go wrong, even with redundancies in place,” Siow wrote in his post.
“With more MRT lines today than a decade ago, commuters have more alternative routes, and the train network is more resilient. We will continue to strengthen the system, learn from every incident, and work hard as one team to serve commuters better.” - The Straits Times/ANN
