The Land Transport Authority said it will require SMRT to carry out more stringent checks and replace the running rails earlier where necessary.
It issued a statement following the fourth incident of a rail crack that has occurred on the North-South/East-West Line in recent weeks.
LTA said it is concerned and is investigating the root causes of the incidents.
During a joint news conference by the LTA and SMRT to address the issue of rail cracks, SMRT said that it has completed ultrasound checks on all rail joints in the system, and no other defects have been found.
As some of the cracks are symptoms of an ageing rail network, more may be expected in the future. However, LTA said safety of passengers will not be compromised.
Deputy chief executive of the LTA, Chua Chong Kheng, said: "This is because the signalling system that we have is designed to detect rail cracks, and when the rail cracks, it will be treated as though the track is occupied. Therefore, other trains are prevented or not allowed to come in to that area."
LTA added that it is too early at this stage to determine if there is any underlying link or systemic issues that contributed to these four recent rail cracks.
LTA also said SMRT, which operates the North-South/East-West Line, has a system of running rail replacement similar to the approach adopted by operators in other cities -- whereby individual running rail segments are replaced when there are defects, or when the wear and tear for that rail segment warrants it.
But due to the recent incidents, SMRT will be taking various precautionary measures. These include accelerating its rail replacement programme.
Lee Ling Wee, senior vice president of rail services at SMRT, said: "In the past, we used to wait until the wear is 14mm before we replaced the rail. Now, instead of 14 mm we are shortening it to 12 mm.
"This means we are replacing it earlier, and that would mean additional maintenance efforts. We are in discussion with LTA for resources that we will need to increase our capacity for replacing the rail."
These resources include additional workshops to pre-fabricated rails.
SMRT said it has identified 40km of rail which need to be replaced -- the Nort South-East West Line has a total of 400km of rail.
Mr Lee added: "If we do not increase our capacity, it may take up to five years to replace the rails, but if we do increase our capacity, we are hoping to reduce it to two years."
LTA said that although the rail network is ageing, a complete overhaul is not necessary.
Mr Chua said: "Now, because the rails do not wear at the same limit throughout the whole railway, some stretches will wear faster -- for example at curves. So therefore, the replacement must be done on a basis where there are instances of the wear limits.
"The other occasion where rail is required to be changed is where there are defects that are found. For example, where there are cracks or corrugations on the rail head or the rail surface."
The LTA said it is monitoring SMRT's remedial actions very closely. It is stepping up audits on SMRT's maintenance works -- up from monthly to fortnightly -- to ensure checks are done thoroughly.
LTA will focus its audits on the track curves, as the recent rail cracks have occurred along such stretches.
To better determine what further measures can be taken to address the situation, LTA will be appointing an international trackwork specialist to assess the condition of the rail and to advise on possible changes to the operator's running rail maintenance regime.
SOURCE
Not very assuring eh? A crack track is not one to be meddle with. Any physical defect with it will cause a derailment if serious, and if there is such a day in Singapore's history, it will be very ugly judging by how crowded are our MRT trains. The authorities will have to take this seriously and keep a very close watch on SMRT.
A cable caught fire
in the tunnel at Newton station, causing train services on the
North-South Line to be disrupted on Wednesday morning.
SMRT said the fire has been put out.
In a tweet by SMRT, it said northbound train service from Marina Bay to Toa Payoh is expected to resume at 11:25am.
In a statement, SMRT said the incident happened at around 9:05am.
Free bus services were activated immediately between Newton and Toa Payoh stations.
In
addition, the train operator said bus bridging services were provided
for commuters between Marina Bay and Toa Payoh stations.
At
10am, the northbound train service between Marina Bay and Toa Payoh was
disrupted as traction power was switched off for the removal of the
damaged cable.
At 10:40am, SMRT said it is working closely with
the police and SCDF to recover train services. It advised affected
passengers to take free bus services available at affected stations, the
Circle Line or the North East Line.
SCDF said they were informed
of the incident at 9:04am and despatched two red rhinos, two fire
engines, two fire bikes, two support vehicles and an ambulance to the
Newton station.
SCDF added that the fire involved electrical wiring about five metres away from the platform of the station.
The fire was extinguished using fire extinguishers and a small quantity of foam.
It added that no injuries have been reported so far.
Investigations into the cause of the fire are ongoing.
SOURCE
SMRT is burning itself, literally. As far as my memory serves me, I think this is the first time a fire of such a "big" extent happens at a train station. What's more it's the first working day of the week, right after Chinese New Year. The cable was probably still in holiday mood.
Jokes aside, it is important that there is no casualties. SMRT will have to investigate thoroughly on why a short circuit happened.
Transport Minister
Lui Tuck Yew has given the assurance that Singapore's transport
infrastructure will have sufficient buffer to accommodate a possible 6.9
million population by 2030.
He told Parliament that commuters need not wait till then to find travelling more convenient.
Pointing
to efforts to expand the rail and bus network, Mr Lui said commuters
will begin to see improvements in the next five years.
The vision is to create a very convenient and high-quality public transport system by 2030, said the minister.
By then, the rail network will be doubled to 360 kilometres, with nine MRT lines to help spread the load from the current four.
But given issues like overcrowded trains and train disruptions in recent years,
Mr Lui said he understands why such a vision can be hard for Singaporeans to visualise.
"Seen
through the prism of the current situation, I can appreciate how
unthinkable it may seem that we can accommodate a population by 2030
that is 30% higher than today, even though we have firm plans to double
the rail network over this same period. But I do believe we will begin
to see a gradual but noticeable and perceptible improvement over the
next five years," he said.
Mr Lui said that by 2017, the Downtown
Line, for example, will add significant new capacity to the east-west
corridor. The re-signalling project and additional new trains to be
rolled out on existing lines will also help.
"During the busiest
one hour in the morning, our assessment is that we will have the
capacity to carry 70 percent more passengers into the CBD in five years'
time compared to what we have today. And I do not expect such a sharp
increase in ridership. Hence what this implies is that for most
commuters taking the train into the city, the journey will be less
crowded by then," he said.
Incentive schemes to encourage
commuters to spread their travel outside the peak hours may also be
improved, possibly later this year.
Mr Lui said: "Commuters who
are able and willing to travel off-peak on the SMRT network today can
save up to 50 cents off their rail fare if they exit at the designated
stations in the CBD before 7:45am. The scheme has seen some initial
success, with about 3% to 4% of commuters move their travel out of the
peak period. We will continue to see how it can be made even more
effective, and will consider further improvements, possibly later this
year."
As for buses, there are plans to speed up the five-year Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP) launched last September.
Another 190 buses will be added this year.
This would mean that half of the 550 buses promised under the programme will be on the roads by the end of this year.
Private bus operators will be roped in to help run new routes.
And more City Direct-type bus services, which run along expressways, will be introduced.
To
improve waiting times, there are plans to possibly introduce an
incentive and penalty system based on commuters' expected waiting times.
Such a system is already introduced in cities like London and Seoul.
The Land Transport Authority will begin trying out the scheme on some services in the second half of this year.
In addition, nearly S$50 million will be spent over the next two years on measures like adding 30 kilometres of bus lanes.
The Mandatory Give-Way scheme will be extended to another 150 bus stops and the number of bus hubs will increase from 10 to 40.
SOURCE
During the week of the by-election, they reveal all the good news on public transport, planning all the way ahead till 2030. Then a week later came the White Paper, which gave all citizens a shock with the 6.9million figure.
Suddenly all the good news have been wiped out clean by this figure. But then, I will still like to give the LTA a chance to prove themselves. Yes, they're definitely behind time with the infrastructures, but they're doing something about it now.
It awaits to be seen how much faster can they catch up with the rise in population. The verdict will come in 2016.
The government will spend some S$690 million to better connect commuters to transport nodes and reduce noise levels from passing trains.
Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew on Thursday announced the initiatives mapped out under the latest Land Transport Master Plan.
One key project -- Walk2Ride -- will make it easier for more commuters to walk to MRT stations.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) will build sheltered linkways within a 400-metre radius from all existing MRT stations, compared to the current radius of 200 metres.
Currently, sheltered linkways are built to link to schools, healthcare institutions and other transport nodes like bus stops and taxi stands.
But under Walk2Ride, developments within a 400-metre radius like shopping, leisure, commercial and residential areas will also be linked.
Mr Lui said walking experience has been a key point in discussions with residents.
He added: "We will improve the 'first and last mile experience' for commuters. One key feedback from our focus group discussions was that more people would take public transport if we improve the walking experience between their homes or the MRT station and bus stop.
"Many told us while our public transport system is well-connected, the walking experience was generally uncomfortable and inconvenient, given our tropical climate and sometimes unpredictable weather."
There are also plans to link up developments within a 200-metre radius of all bus interchanges, LRT stations and high-usage bus shelters.
In all, some 200 kilometres of linkways will be added islandwide by 2018, more than four times the existing 46 kilometres today. The project is expected to cost some S$330 million and will begin from 2014.
The Walk2Ride initiative is being rolled out, following a successful trial at Lakeside MRT.
Desmond Lee, MP for Jurong GRC, said: "Many of them (residents) are elderly residents as well as families with young children on strollers, and a significant number of them have requested for some form of lifts or pedestrian crossing or escalator to ... Lakeside MRT.
"So with this announcement, residents will find their access to Lakeside MRT that much more convenient for them."
Ang Wei Neng, a member of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport and MP for Jurong GRC, said the move will help reduce traffic congestion and the reliance on feeder bus services.
He said: "People prefer to walk because it is more reliable, more predictable than taking the bus which is subjected to traffic conditions."
Another S$60 million will be spent on making pedestrian overhead bridges more elderly and wheelchair-friendly.
LTA intends to install lifts at 40 of such bridges.
LTA will begin installing the lifts from 2014. Half of them will be completed by 2016 and the remaining by 2018.
Pedestrian overhead bridges located near MRT stations and integrated transport hubs will be given priority.
Beyond connectivity, residents living near elevated train tracks such as in Simei, Marsiling and Dover can expect the noise level from passing trains to drop.
S$300 million will be spent on installing some 20 kilometres of noise barriers along stretches where noise levels exceed the National Environment Agency's guideline of 67 decibels.
Since September, LTA has been measuring noise levels at 455 residential flats located close to such tracks.
With the noise barriers, Mr Lui said noise levels can be reduced by about five to 10 decibels.
Installations will start at the end of this year and be completed by 2020.
Mr Lui said: "They are just some of the key initiatives that we plan to roll out over the next few years to improve our living environment, and enhance our quality of life, and core to the goal of the Land Transport Master Plan 2013 -- which is to build a people-centred land transport system that supports an inclusive and liveable community."
SOURCE
Good initiative by the minister of transportation. After last week's announcement of doubling Singapore's rail network, this piece of news further emphasize that more work is in the pipeline to beef up the viability of public transport in the midst of Singapore's population boom.
Food for thought though, all these good news always start to pop up whenever the ruling party is participating in an election. Nevertheless, Singaporeans will welcome improvements to infrastructure, to make our society more pleasant to live in.
Singapore will have two new MRT lines, while three existing lines will
be extended. These will double the rail network stretch to 360
kilometres, compared with the current 178 kilometres.
By then, eight in 10 households will have a train station within a 10-minute walk, compared with about six in 10 currently.
These plans for the rail network followed a review of the Land Transport Master Plan by the Land Transport Authority (LTA).
Transport
Minister Lui Tuck Yew announced the new developments when he visited
Chinatown Station of the Downtown Line on Thursday.
The new lines are the Cross Island Line (CRL) and Jurong Region Line (JRL).
The
CRL will run from Jurong Industrial Estate and pass through areas such
as West Coast, Bukit Timah, Ang Mo Kio, Punggol and Pasir Ris before
ending in Changi. The 50-kilometre line, which is expected to be
completed by 2030, will be connected to all existing lines.
It is expected to relieve the load of the existing East-West and North-East lines and shorten journey times significantly.
Mr
Lui said: "The eastern leg of the CRL will also include a segment that
extends into the centre of Punggol. Residents in Punggol will be able to
take a short cut to Pasir Ris, which is a popular and much demanded
travel route, in only 10 to 15 minutes, compared to a 40 minute bus
journey that they experience today."
The other new line -- Jurong
Region Line -- will be completed in 2025. The 20-kilometre line will
pass through areas such as Jurong West, Jurong Industrial District, West
Coast, Choa Chu Kang and potential new developments in Tengah.
Those
travelling from the North to Jurong, like students of Nanyang
Technological University, can skip Jurong East Station on the East-West
Line.
Three existing lines -- the Circle Line (CCL), Downtown Line (DTL) and North-East Line (NEL) -- will be extended.
 |
The
CCL will be four kilometres longer -- to close the link between
HarbourFront and Marina Bay stations and save commuters the hassle of
making multiple transfers. The extension, which will also pass through
Keppel, is expected to be completed by 2025.
The DTL will be two
kilometres longer by 2025 -- to run through the East Coast area. It will
be connected to the East West Line and the Eastern Region Line, which
will be ready by 2020, so that commuters can transfer between the
Downtown Line and Eastern Region Line in the east.
As for the
NEL, two kilometres will be added by 2030 -- in tandem with new
developments in Punggol -- to serve Punggol North, including the new
Punggol Downtown.
Mr Lui said all these changes promise not just faster and more convenient travel.
He
said: "We will also have a more resilient network that can better
mitigate disruptions in our MRT system and also allow us to shut down
parts of the network for longer durations to carry out improvement works
without causing too much inconvenience to commuters."
The LTA is
also exploring the possibility of an additional station between
Sembawang and Yishun stations on the North-South Line, in anticipation
of future developments in the area.
SOURCE
Good initiative by the LTA and government to help cope with the massive population boom in Singapore. But all these will only be ready in 2030, which is 17years from now. It is so far away it makes everyone roll their eyes. Haha, hopefully the old people by then will still be able to walk to the MRT stations to make use of them.
It's not just driver salaries, but the need to improve and maintain public transport systems for the long-term that necessitates fare revisions, said Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew in a message posted to his Facebook page today.
He was writing in response to the discussion generated over his comments made on the 6th of December. Then, he had said that increased salaries for bus drivers would be taken into account in future fare revisions for buses.
However, he said his comments were made in view of a "wider perspective".
"We need to go well beyond the one-time increase earlier this year which raised salaries by up to a few hundred dollars a month," Minister Lui wrote in the Facebook post. He cited the need to attract more local drivers as a reason for sustained increases of wages for bus drivers.
"Locals currently make up slightly more than half (57 per cent) of our 7,500 bus drivers, a sharp decline from almost 80 per cent just 6 years ago. Most local drivers are already in their 50s and 60s. Clearly we should continue to welcome foreign bus drivers within limits. But we also need to attract more locals to take up bus driving if we do not want to rely overly on foreigners." he wrote.
He also stressed that fare increases were not to boost the short term profits of public transport operators. Instead, they should be used "not just to improve salaries of bus drivers but to improve service to commuters while keeping public transport operations commercially viable." This includes the upgrading and maintainance of fleets, as well staff salaries.
PROPER BALANCE NEEDED
Minister Lui acknowledged that as fares increased, the Government would have an increasing role to keep public transport affordable. Examples he cited of Govenrment help included expanding the rail network, as well as the S$1.1 billion Bus Service Enhancement Programme introduced earlier in the year.
However, he said that even with Government help, improving public transport would be a costly endeavour. He wrote: "Somebody has to pay for these costs, either commuters in fares, or taxpayers in government subsidies, or the PTOs.
"The proper balance is something we have to study very carefully. But we should not simply take the populist approach of avoiding any fare increases completely, and just push it onto the PTOs or rely on more and more government subsidies. Not only would this require additional public money, but it would give operators no incentive to be efficient, or to provide good services to commuters."
Minister Lui emphasised that the Government is "fully committed to an affordable public transport system" for vulnerable groups, and he wants PTOs to consider what more can be done for such groups as part of the next fare adjustment.
He also said that there would be a fuller debate in Parliament about fare revisions, once the fare review committee completes its work early next year.
"It is a matter of all the stakeholders - the PTOs, the Government, and yes, commuters too - coming together to ensure we enjoy a reliable, high-quality and affordable public transport system," he wrote.
SOURCE
Singaporeans have come to a stage where whatever the minister say, we will rebut, especially so in the public transport factors. And who can blame them? Fare increment has become almost a yearly affair for the past decade and while the PTOs continue to make handsome profits, they continue to cry for help when it comes to providing better services and salaries.
However, there isn't much we can do once they have decided to raise fares. We can make all the noises we want but we still have to use the public transport and continue paying.
Driving a bus may be among the things young boys dream of doing, but everyone soon wakes up to the bleak reality.
Bus drivers are among the lowest-paid workers in Singapore, making more than cleaners but a bit less than factory operators - two of the lowest-paid groups of people here.
After this year's round of adjustments, the average Singaporean driver takes home between $2,000 and $2,500 monthly after overtime and allowance.
Drivers from Malaysia and China make even less.
Salaries aside, working hours can be daunting. They wake up as early as 4am if they are on the morning shift, and knock off after 1am on the late shift.
A split-shift system also means they can be rostered to drive during the morning and evening peak hours on the same day; and days off are not as predictable as those of, say, office workers.
It is no wonder then that SBS Transit and SMRT find it increasingly difficult to hire Singaporean drivers.
In the 1990s, they started sourcing from Malaysia.
Soon, with rising education levels and growing affluence, even Malaysians were hard to come by.
In 2008, the two operators started hiring drivers from China.
There are currently about 7,300 bus drivers between the two operators.
About half are Singaporeans or permanent residents, followed by Malaysians and Chinese.
Chinese drivers make up 11 per cent and 22 per cent of SBS' and SMRT's drivers respectively.
According to the two firms, drivers typically have secondary school education and are between 21 and 65 years old.
Prior to joining, they must have held a Class 3 (car) driving licence for at least a year.
An understanding of simple English is about the only other criterion needed for application.
Successful applicants undergo training of between 31 and 60 days, depending on their familiarity with Singapore roads.
On average, 15 per cent of the 7,300 drivers leave each year.
But some make a long-term career of it. SBS says its longest-serving Singaporean driver has been on the job for 44 years, while a Malaysian has been at it for 38.
While some used to be drivers in previous occupations, others have held various jobs, such as being cooks and policemen.
The Straits Times understands that those who leave usually go on to drive trucks.
Demand for truck drivers - who typically earn 60 to 70 per cent more - has soared with the construction boom.
Malaysians typically start their own businesses back home.
SOURCE
As a Singaporean, do you want to be a public transport bus driver? Or would you rather be a cabbie?
Monday's action by 102 SMRT bus drivers brought into focus issues
that have come with transport operators' growing dependence on foreign
workers.
Bus operators began hiring bus drivers from China in 2008. They now
make up 11 per cent of SBS Transit's pool of 5,300 drivers, and 22 per
cent of SMRT's 2,000 drivers.
The pay gap between Chinese and Malaysian drivers was one catalyst
for yesterday's protest. The former received much lower pay rises than
the latter group, even though they perform roughly the same functions.
Veteran unionist and MP Halimah Yacob said this was probably because
of SMRT's differing cost structures for the two groups of drivers.
For instance, SMRT has to pay for lodging for Chinese drivers, but
not Malaysians, who typically commute to and from their homes across the
Causeway.
She noted that the drivers should have sought proper avenues to address their grievances.
Even if they failed to reach a resolution with management, they could have turned to the Manpower Ministry, she said.
But Madam Halimah - who is also Minister of State for Social and
Family Development - added that companies should be cognizant of
changing circumstances facing Chinese workers.
"China is growing rapidly. Its economy is able to absorb many more
workers, and they are also able to pay better than before," she said.
"So employers here have to factor that in."
Mr Kenneth Soh, a social worker at non-governmental organisation
Transient Workers Count Too, said the larger issue may have to do with
why there are not enough Singaporean drivers.
"Perhaps we need to relook at our salary policies, to attract more
locals so as to have a lower reliance on foreigners," he said.
Active social commentator and former chief of union-backed insurer
NTUC Income Tan Kin Lian also urged public transport operators to pay
better salaries and provide better working conditions to recruit more
locals.
"Locals will be more familiar with our roads and languages, and can interact better with commuters," he said.
Member of Parliament Cedric Foo, who chairs the Government
Parliamentary Committee for Transport, said buses were an essential
public service, and Singapore must guard against situations where such
service providers are held hostage to protesters.
"There is always a balance to be struck between employee and employer interests," Mr Foo said.
"But conflicts do surface from time to time, and due process should be followed to address them.
"(Commuters) should not be penalised for this."
SOURCE
Definitely a wake up call for companies who think they can leech on cheap foreign labour, especially for those in service industries as they're more crucial than the others. Can you imagine waking up one day but can't get to work due to the absence of transport providers?
This is an issue facing Singapore as a whole. After the mass import of cheap foreign labour for the past few years, the government has finally come to realise that unlimited boosting of the workforce is not the best way to go and started controlling influx of such workers.
This change in policy suddenly caused many industry to face a manpower and profit crunch. After getting s used to readily available foreign labour, companies must now find ways to improve productivity and make salaries more attractive to locals.
It's ironic that after boosting the population, we need more workers to support this huge population but is finding big troubles in doing so.
SINGAPORE: Train services between Ang Mo Kio and Marina Bay stations were disrupted Saturday morning, in the third service breakdown this week for Singapore Mass Rapid Transit (SMRT).
In its latest update at 1.18 pm, SMRT said the southbound train service between Toa Payoh and Raffles Place stations is now available.
The service between Raffles Place and Marina Bay stations is not available.
The northbound train service between Raffles Place and Jurong East stations is available.
The train service between Raffles Place and Toa Payoh stations are running but not at a normal frequency.
A bus bridging service is available between Ang Mo Kio and Bishan, Ang Mo Kio and Raffles Place, as well as Marina Bay and City Hall stations.
Passengers on the affected stretches are advised to use alternative transport or take the bus bridging service.
They should also commute using the Circle Line, which has been running at a three-minute frequency since 8.40 am to cater to the influx of passengers.
Calls to Channel NewsAsia on Saturday's service disruption started coming in at about 7.00 am.
One caller, Jeannie said that at about 6.50 am, she and other passengers who were in a train near City Hall MRT were asked to evacuate the train and had to walk along the tunnel after "the doors got stuck".
Another caller said at 7.21 am that when service on the North-South Line broke down towards Marina Bay, an announcement was made about the breakdown but no reason was given.
On Wednesday, parts of the Circle Line were affected by a technical glitch during morning peak hours.
A day later, a service breakdown on the North-South Line caused commuter chaos during evening peak hours.
Callers told Channel NewsAsia on Saturday that they saw the SMS alert to taxi drivers informing them of the breakdown.
One caller said the alert was more "diplomatic", stating "FYI: train breakdown both directions".
She was referring to a similar message sent on Thursday night to inform SMRT drivers of an "income opportunity" following the train disruption.
The message was posted online by a passenger and went viral instantly, drawing heavy criticism.
SMRT had admitted that the alert was "insensitive" and a "very bad mistake".
The breakdown came a day after SMRT CEO Saw Phaik Hwa apologised for Thursday's glitch which affected 127,000 passengers, including 1,000 trapped in each of the four stalled trains.
It was the worst breakdown in 24 years.
- CNA/cc
SOURCE
With the COE at an all time skyhigh amount, taxi companies raising their fares unanimously, even Singapore's railway system is showing signs instability now. Bus services remain undependable and slow. So what is the best way of commuting around here? Hong Kong is able to privatise public transport with desirable effects, but in Singapore, the opposite happens.What went wrong really?
