SINGAPORE: In response to the major disruption along the East-West Line (EWL) affecting train services between Boon Lay and Queenstown stations today (25 September), Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat addressed the situation from Beijing, where he is attending the Global Sustainable Transport Forum.
Mr. Chee confirmed that there is a possibility normal train services may not resume tomorrow, as the teams from SMRT and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will assess the situation and provide updates during engineering hours tonight.
He also emphasized LTA’s commitment to conducting a thorough investigation into the incident to identify areas for improvement.
Separately, SMRT Chairman Seah Moon Ming and GCEO Ngien Hoon Ping issued apologies to commuters on Wednesday afternoon.
They explained that the disruption was caused by an “unforeseen issue” during the withdrawal of an old train, wherein a defective axle box on one of SMRT’s first-generation trains dropped.
This led to “the wheels of a bogie to come off the running rail and hit track equipment, including the third rail and point machines, leading to the power fault.”
“At SMRT, we hold the safety and well-being of our commuters and our staff as our highest priority. We fully understand the inconvenience, frustration, and delays this disruption has caused, and we deeply regret the impact it has had on your journey,” they stated.
Both the SMRT Chairman and GCEO assured that they are working diligently to restore services as quickly as possible.
“Once again, we extend our sincerest apologies for the disruption and deeply appreciate your patience, understanding, and continued trust in SMRT.”
In a Facebook post, Minister Chee confirmed that the disruption was linked to a train fault near Clementi MRT Station.
As SMRT worked to withdraw the damaged train, it caused significant damage to the tracks, including the running rails and the third rail that supplies power to the trains. Due to the extent of the damage, normal train services could not resume for the remainder of Wednesday.
To alleviate commuter inconvenience, SMRT will provide shuttle train services between Boon Lay and Jurong East (interchange with the North-South Line) and between Queenstown and Buona Vista (interchange with the Circle Line). Additionally, bridging bus services will be offered at no cost to commuters.
Acknowledging the potential impact on students taking the Primary School Leaving Examinations (PSLE), Minister Chee stated he is in contact with the Ministry of Education and the Singapore Examinations and Assessment Board to prepare contingencies.
“I would like to thank commuters for their patience and also express my appreciation to our transport workers who are working hard to restore the train service as soon as possible.
Public transport fares should not be linked to service levels and disruptions: Chee Hong Tat
SINGAPORE: Public transport service levels and disruptions should be separate from how fares are set, said Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat on Tuesday (Oct 15).
Speaking during a ministerial statement on the East-West Line train disruption that occurred from Sep 25 to Sep 30, Mr Chee responded to a question from Member of Parliament Gerald Giam (WP-Aljunied) about whether this incident and service levels can be taken into consideration in the Public Transport Council’s (PTC) fare review exercise.
MPs filed 31 parliamentary questions on the disruption, which stopped train services between Jurong East and Buona Vista MRT stations for six days.
PTC previously studied whether fare reviews should be linked to service levels and disruptions, Mr Chee noted.
The council decided not to adopt this approach because there are other measures in place to ensure that service standards are met, he added.
For service disruptions, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will establish causes and accountability, then mete out penalties where necessary, said the transport minister.
When operators do not meet reliability targets, they also do not receive payments under the government's incentive schemes.
The annual fare review exercise ensures that fares keep pace with changes in operating costs so that the public transport system stays financially sustainable, said Mr Chee, adding that the council follows a fare formula.
For example, the maximum increase allowed this year was 18.9 per cent, due to the 15.6 percentage points carried over from last year. PTC, however, decided to defer most of this and raise fares by 6 per cent to ensure affordability, said the transport minister.
“If our fares are not adjusted to reflect rising operating costs, the persistent shortfall would have a chronic impact on service quality and reliability over time,” he added.
“Or if we want to continue topping up the shortfall via government subsidies, it means that taxpayers will have to foot a higher bill.”
Mr Chee also responded to multiple questions about how the costs of the disruption will be covered.
Regardless of the investigation outcome, SMRT will bear the costs of the free bridging buses and regular bus services, the foregone fare revenue during the disruption and the repair works, he said.
This requirement applies to both rail operators – SMRT and SBS Transit – if they encounter disruptions along their respective train lines, he noted.
A lot more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/east-west-line-train-disruption-chee-hong-tat-4678956