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Lui screws SMRT. Now spending 900M to upgrade system

wMulew

Alfrescian
Loyal
Train operator SMRT is biting the bullet and changing a slew of components and systems on its ageing North-South and East-West lines in the wake of a spate of breakdowns.

The programme - the most ambitious and comprehensive in the company's 25-year history - will be rolled out over the next eight years.

It will cost an estimated $900 million, and will be co-funded by the Land Transport Authority. The amount includes previously announced plans to change the two lines' signalling system.

This is more than what SMRT had spent on repairs and maintenance in the last decade.

SMRT interim chief executive Tan Ek Kia announced this at a press conference on Tuesday. It was called to explain the string of five breakdowns that took place in the last two weeks, even as the Committee of Inquiry looking into SMRT's two major train disruptions last December entered its seventh day.

Mr Tan said the company has been ramping up its maintenance regime in recent months, but decided that this was not enough.

'As the system ages, our maintenance regime needs to adapt from one that focuses on repair and overhaul, to one which also includes replacement and renewal,' he said.

The programme calls for the replacement of several infrastructural and systems parts. These include metal claws which keep the power-supplying 'third rail' in place, wooden rail sleepers that hold up the tracks, train propulsion systems and train pneumatic systems.

The move comes just days after Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew summoned Mr Tan and SMRT chairman Koh Yong Guan over last week's breakdowns and told them that 'taking a business-as-usual approach was not sufficient' to lick the problem.

On Tuesday, Mr Tan admitted as much. 'With the benefit of hindsight, we have to adapt so that if a particular area, due to age or obsolescence, we need to replace rather than maintain, that's what we should do,' he said at the Bishan depot.

The number of train faults has been creeping up in recent years. In 2009, there were about 1.5 to two incidents for every 100,000km plied. This rose to around 2.5 to three in 2010 and early last year.

Then, from the second half of last year to the first quarter of this year, there were 3.5 to four faults for every 100,000km clocked.

Mr Tan said the higher rate of faults should be seen in the context of a number of factors. He pointed out that 66 trains, or half its fleet, were 25 years old.

Some 136km of tracks, or 70 per cent of its network, were between 21 and 24 years old. Ridership has also grown by more than 16 per cent to 606 million between 2009 and last year.

Even so, Mr Tan appeared contrite at Tuesday's press conference. 'I want to apologise to our customers who have suffered a lot of inconvenience,' he said.

He also said SMRT was grateful to its rival SBS Transit for helping in the recent breakdowns by increasing bus and train runs.

Meanwhile, commuters should brace themselves for the two lines shutting down in stages for the upgrading works over the next few years.

Likely periods will be Sunday nights from 10pm, allowing a window period of about eight hours for work before service resumes on Monday morning.

The most daunting parts of the upgrading programme will be replacing the 200,000 wooden rail sleepers and changing the signalling system to one that is more reliable and which will allow more frequent train runs.

A system will also be put in place that measures track vibration levels, to help the operator identify and address potential problems.

Mr Tan said: 'We have been working very hard, but the results have not been evident... but that has not diminished our resolve. There is a lot of work in front of us.'

http://www.straitstimes.com/The-Big-Story/The-Big-Story-3/Story/STIStory_792408.html
 

Cestbon

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
After bus $1.1b subsidy by gov. Now MRT get $900m subsidy.
What next TAXI get $500m???
 

hairylee

Alfrescian
Loyal
This is the price we pay for their years of neglect and mismanagement.
They will review the fare structure to compensate themselves, at commuters expense, for it.
 

Jlokta

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
After bus $1.1b subsidy by gov. Now MRT get $900m subsidy.
What next TAXI get $500m???

Tax payers money goes to funding a public transport system.

Except in this case, this transport system is not public but a private one.
Any money made goes back to the company as big fat bonuses and payouts to shareholders.

And how did fark yew come out with the explaination that if garmen don't give them the moola, pubic transport operators have to increase fare to have money for the upgrade???? Then where did all the profit from the past few fare increases go to?? Tian An Men or Kabuki??
 

Scrooball (clone)

Alfrescian
Loyal
More like MRT screw all the peasants. The money has to come from the govt coffers right? And where do they get the monies from?

From you
 

denzuko1

Alfrescian
Loyal
Train operator SMRT is biting the bullet and changing a slew of components and systems on its ageing North-South and East-West lines in the wake of a spate of breakdowns.

The programme - the most ambitious and comprehensive in the company's 25-year history - will be rolled out over the next eight years.

It will cost an estimated $900 million, and will be co-funded by the Land Transport Authority. The amount includes previously announced plans to change the two lines' signalling system.
.........Mr Tan said: 'We have been working very hard, but the results have not been evident... but that has not diminished our resolve. There is a lot of work in front of us.'

http://www.straitstimes.com/The-Big-Story/The-Big-Story-3/Story/STIStory_792408.html

LTA co-fund the program? so how much of the $900M does LTA co-fund? this only means that the money coming out of tax payers pocket. I will be very interested to see how much does SMRT earn as profit in the coming year for its share holders.

And when Mr Tan says, " we are working very hard..." It only means that there is no result from SMRT. Consider the physic's formula of work done = Force X distance. distance in this case is not only "0" but a negative value.

SMRT should be ashame of itself for forgetting its most important role, which is to provide cheap and reliable transportation for the public. It is not only a private entity, it has a civic duty and unfortunately this has been left.
 

streetsmart73

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
LTA co-fund the program? so how much of the $900M does LTA co-fund? this only means that the money coming out of tax payers pocket. I will be very interested to see how much does SMRT earn as profit in the coming year for its share holders.

And when Mr Tan says, " we are working very hard..." It only means that there is no result from SMRT. Consider the physic's formula of work done = Force X distance. distance in this case is not only "0" but a negative value.

SMRT should be ashame of itself for forgetting its most important role, which is to provide cheap and reliable transportation for the public. It is not only a private entity, it has a civic duty and unfortunately this has been left.



hi there


1. hahaha!
2. honest, i am waiting for some comments or "intelligent" opinions from the people's presdy.
3. the white-haired tau neh tan on such "investment".
 

Scrooball (clone)

Alfrescian
Loyal
SMRT is a privatized company. Why must ask LTA foot part of the cost? It's like tomorrow i go and open a minimart. Then i ask HDB to pay half my rent.
 

BuiKia

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
MRTC saved $5 Million now spend $900 million to replced it.

In 1980, SMRTC selected the WestingHouse Signalling system for USD 150 million.

They saved USD 5 million because Westinghouse was the cheapest.

The Second Bidder was USD 155 millions - but proposed a BETTER and future-proof system.

Congratulations ! Scums In white and all the Evil Serpents in MRTC aka LTA.

Bad karmas now hit you.

Saved USD 5 Millions, now have to spend $ 900 millions to replace the aging Westinghouse FIXED BLOCK Signalling system.
 

The_Hypocrite

Alfrescian (Inf)
Asset
MRTC saved $5 Million now spend $900 million to replced it.

In 1980, SMRTC selected the WestingHouse Signalling system for USD 150 million.

They saved USD 5 million because Westinghouse was the cheapest.

The Second Bidder was USD 155 millions - but proposed a BETTER and future-proof system.

Congratulations ! Scums In white and all the Evil Serpents in MRTC aka LTA.

Bad karmas now hit you.

Saved USD 5 Millions, now have to spend $ 900 millions to replace the aging Westinghouse FIXED BLOCK Signalling system.

If this is true, the people tat made the decision need to b taken to account..name n shame them
 

hairylee

Alfrescian
Loyal
Tax payers money goes to funding a public transport system.

Except in this case, this transport system is not public but a private one.
Any money made goes back to the company as big fat bonuses and payouts to shareholders.

And how did fark yew come out with the explaination that if garmen don't give them the moola, pubic transport operators have to increase fare to have money for the upgrade???? Then where did all the profit from the past few fare increases go to?? Tian An Men or Kabuki??

This PAP gov.sg no longer bother to justify their policies cause after years of lies and bullshit, they are drowning in their own cesspool.
 

Jlokta

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
This PAP gov.sg no longer bother to justify their policies cause after years of lies and bullshit, they are drowning in their own cesspool.

1/2 right bro.

the reason they no longer bother to justify their policies is because the 60.14% thinks that everything they say is right. what for justify when dumb farkers just blindly follow?
 

streetsmart73

Alfrescian (InfP)
Generous Asset
If this is true, the people tat made the decision need to b taken to account..name n shame them



hi there


1. aiyoh!
2. bro, no offence, wake up & smell the kopi leh.
3. name & shame don't work here hoh.
4. one "we are sorry", "we apologise" shall be suffice, sob sob sob!
 
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