COMMUTERS SHOULD HAVE MORE PRECISE INFORMATION DURING BREAKDOWNS
A Rail Reliability Taskforce was announced by Mr Siow earlier this month to “take a harder look to satisfy ourselves that there is no systemic problem” when it comes to train disruptions.
The task force will look into bringing forward the renewal of critical systems such as power supply and signalling, and jointly conduct audits on the maintenance and operations of critical systems, said Mr Siow.
It will also look into reviewing the service recovery process wherever there is a breakdown.
The train operators have been informing commuters of service delays in excess of ten minutes, as required by the LTA, and while this is a basic requirement, more can be done, he said.
For instance, commuters should have more precise information on alternate travel routes and additional travel time, depending on their specific location rather than generic advisories, said Mr Siow.
There should also be centralised information on a single app, so commuters know “exactly where to look during a disruption”, and directional signs can also be improved.
“The recent disruptions have inconvenienced many commuters,” said Mr Siow.
“I understand the frustrations, and I want to assure commuters that we are doing our best to improve our performance.”
Ms Tin Pei Ling (PAP-Marine Parade-Braddell Heights) asked a supplementary question on how rail performance will continue to be reliable going forward, given the spate of recent incidents.
Mr Siow said that the number of rail disruptions so far this year was about the same as that of the same period last year.
He asked: “Why is it that there was so much attention this year?”
“My hypothesis, which I think is probably likely, is that the impact of the individual disruptions were far greater than the ones that happened last year,” he said.
He added that the rail network is in the process of being doubled over the next 10 years, and as such, if the number of train disruptions is not doubled, “our rail reliability would have improved”.
“That is not to say we will not put in effort to minimise the number of train disruptions. We will, and we will put in our effort … But this is mathematics, this is reality,” he said.
