SMRT’s 20-year-old trains to be upgraded to boost reliability
Published 3 hours ago
Adrian Lim
SINGAPORE - Rail operator SMRT is upgrading a fleet of 20-year-old trains used for the North-South and East-West Lines.
The overhaul of the 19 six-car trains will include replacing their traction motors, air conditioning systems, and train doors.
When the upgraded trains hit the tracks progressively from the second quarter of 2017, commuters will also enjoy a graphical route map information system onboard.
The company revealed details of the train upgrading project, during a site visit to the Bishan depot on Wednesday (Nov 19).
The German-made C651 trains are manufactured by Siemens, and have been in service since 1996. With the upgrades, their lifespan will be extended by another 15 to 20 years.
“The improvements will reduce the incidence of train faults common to the Siemens C651 fleet, such as its propulsion system and door system faults,” SMRT said on Wednesday.
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Are MRT escalators too fast for the elderly?
Published 2 hours ago
A 64-year-old retiree is in a coma after falling on an escalator at Bishan MRT station on Saturday. We ask the elderly at MRT stations if the escalators are too fast for them
Joseph Lee and Isabelle Liew
SINGAPORE (THE NEW PAPER) - The 81-year-old woman, who was carrying five tote bags with both hands, had no difficulty going up the escalator without using the handrails at Ang Mo Kio MRT station.
The woman, who wanted to remain anonymous, said she felt the escalators were “not too fast”.
She then moved briskly into an awaiting train.
She was among the 17 elderly commuters, aged between 67 and 82, whom TNP spoke to at the station platform yesterday morning.
All said that they experienced no difficulties coping with the speeds of the escalator that was going up towards the platform.
Madam Goh Eng Heng, 79, who was on her way home from a walk, said in Mandarin: “I feel that the escalators are okay, not (too) fast and not (too) slow.”
Madam Goh added that although she cannot walk as quickly as other commuters, this posed little difficulty in managing the escalators.
Most of the elderly used the escalators instead of the lifts that were no more than about 5m away.
Mr Poh Keng, 81, who was on his way home from meeting his friends, said that the speed of the escalators were “not an issue” for him.
A retiree, Mr Ng Sew Hong, 67, even boasted that although he had “no energy” left in his legs, he could still take the escalators without any problems.
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Cracked glass panel at Circle Line’s one-north station had material defect: SMRT
The severely-cracked glass panel was damaged due to a “material defect” in the glass, rail operator SMRT Corp said on Thursday (Nov 17).
Published 1 hour ago
Adrian Lim
SINGAPORE - Commuters passing through the one-north Circle Line MRT station on Wednesday (Nov 16) afternoon were met with the troubling sight of a severely-cracked glass panel along the platform.
The panel, which was along the train tracks but visible from the platform, was damaged due to a “material defect” in the glass, rail operator SMRT Corp said, following initial investigations.
“Our staff immediately cordoned off the area as a precaution for commuter safety, although the glass on the station side was not affected,” said Mr Patrick Nathan, SMRT’s vice-president for corporate information and communications.
He told The Straits Times on Thursday (Nov 17) that the damaged glass panel was replaced after service hours.
Photos of the cracked panel appeared on the Hardware Zone forum and on Facebook following the incident, eliciting concern from netizens about safety.
continue reading here :
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapor...al-defect-smrt
Must be made in China .
North-South, East-West MRT lines show best performance for first 10 months of 2016
Published 4 hours ago
Updated 2 hours ago
Zhaki Abdullah
SINGAPORE - The North-South and East-West MRT lines achieved 144,000 train-km before breakdown in the first 10 months of this year, the best recorded performance for the two lines in recent years.
This was announced by SMRT chief executive officer Desmond Kuek at the first Singapore Rail Technology Conference, held on Friday (Nov 18) at the InterContinental Singapore.
The Circle Line, which began operations in 2009, clocked 233,000 train-km before breakdown of more than 5 minutes.
The North-South and East-West lines started operating 29 years ago.
However, Mr Kuek noted that this is still some way off from the 2018 target of 400,000 train-km before breakdown for the rail network here, reiterated by Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan in Parliament last week.
“We are working hard to achieve this, and are encouraged by the steady progress already made,” said Mr Kuek, pointing to efforts such as the ongoing renewal of the North-South and East-West lines, and the professional upgrading of its engineering and technical workforce.
In rail reliability figures provided by the Land Transport Authority last week (Nov 9), there was one disruption per 158,000 train-km travelled for the entire MRT network here in the first six months of this year.
The East-West line was the worst performing line with four major breakdowns of more than 30 minutes in the first half of the year.
continue reading here :
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapor...9-year-history
Somehow I find this report hard to believe .
No early trains for Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore; SMRT refutes claims it did not give ample notice
Published 2 hours ago
Updated 1 hour ago
Adrian Lim
SINGAPORE - SMRT has refuted claims that it did not give ample notice to organisers of the Standard Chartered Marathon Singapore (SCMS) that it would not be providing early train services for this year’s race on Dec 4.
Explaining the late announcement to participants- just three weeks before race day - SCMS organisers said on Nov 14 via Facebook that they were informed only “recently” that train services could not be provided, despite discussions starting in June.
They added that there was “track maintenance” to be done on the race day.
This has been sharply refuted by rail operator SMRT Corp on Friday (Nov 26), which said it had told SCMS organisers of its decision in May.
“The organiser was given ample notice to plan alternative travel arrangements and communicate these early to its participants,” said Mr Patrick Nathan, SMRT’s vice-president for corporate information and communications.
He added that SMRT is reaching a “critical point” in its network maintenance and renewal works, that include “sleeper replacement, re-signalling and third rail replacement efforts”.
“Such projects are planned as far as 12 months in advance in order for engineering staff to maximise track access time on viaducts and tunnels,” Mr Nathan said.
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SMRT Trains and two employees charged over deaths of two on railway track
Teo Wee Kiat (left) and Lim Say Heng were charged in court on Thursday (Dec 1) over the accident along the MRT tracks earlier this year (2016) that claimed two lives.
Published 4 hours ago
Updated 2 hours ago
Elena Chong
Court Correspondent
SINGAPORE - SMRT Trains and two of its employees were charged in court on Thursday (Dec 1) over an accident along the MRT tracks earlier this year (2016) in which two workers died after they were hit by a train.
SMRT, which is expected to plead guilty, is accused of contravening the Workplace Safety and Health Act.
By failing to ensure that its employees complied with approved operating procedures when accessing the track between Tampines and Pasir Ris MRT stations.
It also did not ensure that the procedures practised by its employees to access the track passed safety audits, were documented and disseminated, it is alleged.
In the same court, the company’s director of control operations, Teo Wee Kiat, 40, is accused of a similar offence under the Act.
The company’s officer-in-charge of the work party which was inspecting the tracks on March 22, Lim Say Heng, 47, is alleged to have caused the deaths of Mr Nasrulhudin Najumudin and Mr Muhammad Asyraf Ahmad Buhari by a negligent act.
He allegedly failed to ensure that necessary safety measures were in place to ensure that trains did not enter the track before accessing it, leading to a train hitting the men. .
The two men were part of a work party of 15 SMRT employees led by Lim to carry out inspection works on the MRT tracks.
The six signalling workers and nine track workers were on a maintenance walkway near Pasir Ris station to check a possible fault in a component. As they approached the device, the signalling team, led by a supervisor, stepped onto the track.
The supervisor narrowly avoided being hit by the oncoming train but Nasrulhudin, 25, and Muhammad Asyraf, 24, who were second and third in line, were unable to react in time.
The two young men were two months into the job.
SMRT Trains faces a fine of up to $500,000.
If convicted, Lim faces a jail term of up to two years and a fine.Teo faces a fine of up to $200,000 and/or a jail term of up to two years. Lim is no longer working for the company.
In a statement on Thursday (Dec 1), the Attorney-General’s Chambers said that investigations are still ongoing to determine if any other people may be liable for workplace safety lapses in connection with the tragedy.
Responding to the charge against Mr Lim, the National Transport Workers’ Union Executive Secretary Melvin Yong said the union would support him and his family and ensure that he was fairly represented.
continue reading here :
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapor...-railway-track
Why the CEO of SMRT was not charge for failure to ensure safety protocol at all times for its workers ?
SMRT, director among those charged over fatal train accident
By Vanessa Paige Chelvan
Posted 01 Dec 2016 09:43
Updated 01 Dec 2016 10:33
SINGAPORE: Transport operator SMRT Trains Ltd, one of its directors as well as a former employee were on Thursday (Dec 1) charged over the Mar 22 accident that saw two trainees hit and killed by an oncoming train.
SMRT was charged under Section 12 of the Workplace Safety and Health Act, which states that it is the duty of every employer to take measures necessary to ensure the safety and health of employees at work so far as is reasonably practicable.
It had failed to ensure its employees complied with approved operating procedures when heading down to the tracks, and failed to ensure that the procedures practised by staff that day to access the tracks passed safety audits, were documented and disseminated, the charge sheet stated.
SMRT Chief Technology Officer Ng Bor Kiat was in court on Thursday to receive the charge on behalf of the company.
One of its directors, Teo Wee Kiat, was also charged under Section 48 (1) of the same Act, which states that should an offence be committed by a corporate body, an officer of this body shall be guilty of the offence and be liable to be punished.
According to the law, anybody found guilty under this Act and has no penalty expressly provided shall be liable to a fine not more than S$200,000 or jail of up to two years, or both. If it is the case of a corporate body, the fine is up to S$500,000.
In addition, prosecutors also charged Lim Say Heng, the technician who is understood to be standing ahead of the two trainees when the incident took place, with causing death by a negligent act under the Penal Code.
Lim was the person in charge of the work party accessing the train tracks that day, and he failed to ensure that the necessary safety measures were in place to make sure trains do not enter the train track while they were there, according to the charge sheet.
Channel NewsAsia understands that Lim was sacked by SMRT in September over the incident.
He faces a jail term of up to two years, a fine, or both, if found guilty.
Investigations are still ongoing to determine if any other individuals may be liable for workplace safety lapses in connection with the incident, the Attorney-General’s Chambers said in a press release.
A bail of S$15,000 has been offered to Lim, and pre-trial conference has been set on Dec 30 for all three charges.
Continue reading here :
Appeals against firing of SMRT staff still pending
By Kelly Ng
Published: 4:00 AM, December 2, 2016
The appeals against the dismissal of two SMRT staff — including former assistant engineer Lim Say Heng who was among those charged yesterday over a fatal train track accident in March — are still pending, said the National Transport Workers’ Union (NTWU), adding that it will support Lim.
In a statement, NTWU’s executive secretary Melvin Yong stressed that it was important to allow due process to take its course.
Lim and Mr Rahmat Mohd, the driver of the train that hit and killed SMRT trainees Muhammad Asyraf Ahmad Buhari, 24, and Nasrulhudin Najumudin, 26, were sacked in September.
Following their sacking, the union worked with the two workers to file appeals to SMRT and the Manpower Ministry.
The union also helped the two men to find jobs through the Employment and Employability Institute, Mr Yong told TODAY.
SMRT yesterday declined to comment on the appeals.
News of the two men’s dismissal had drawn flak online. Family members of the two dead trainees had also expressed sympathies for the sacked employees and reiterated the need for a full picture to emerge.
In his statement yesterday, Mr Yong said the NTWU will continue to support Lim — who was charged with causing death by a negligent act — and his family members to ensure that he is fairly represented.
Lim was the officer in charge of the work party, which included Asyraf and Nasrulhudin, that was accessing the train track when the accident occurred on March 22.
continue reading here :
http://www.todayonline.com/singapore...-still-pending
Lets see how good the union is . How can one be sacked even while investigations are still on going. The one that needs to be sacked is its CEO .
Train services down for 10 mins between Boon Lay and Joo Koon stations on East-West line
Published 11 sec ago
Lydia Lam
SINGAPORE - Train services between Boon Lay and Joo Koon MRT stations on the East-West line went down briefly on Tuesday (Dec 6).
This was due to a signalling fault at Joo Koon, SMRT said in a tweet at 7pm.
It added in a tweet at 7.11pm that train services have resumed, but advised commuters to add 10 minutes’ travel time between Jurong East and Joo Koon MRT stations.
The Straits Times has contacted SMRT for more information.
continue reading here :
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapor...ations-on-east
So now never say what fault is it ? Well done SMRT .
Delay in launch of new signalling system on MRT lines
Published 1 hour ago
Priscilla Goy
SINGAPORE - The launch of a new signalling system on the North-South (NSL) and East-West lines (EWL) will be delayed.
The upgrade will allow trains to run at shorter intervals of 100 seconds, instead of 120 seconds now, thus reducing crowds in trains.
Rail operator SMRT said in an update on its blog last Friday that the new signalling system will be activated on the NSL in the second half of next year, and on the EWL in the first half of 2019.
But it had said in August that it expected the re-signalling project to be completed on the NSL and EWL in 2016 and 2018 respectively. In October, SMRT said the project will be completed on the NSL in the first quarter of next year instead.
SMRT did not give reasons for the delay in its blog post.
The current fixed-block signalling system divides the track into blocks of between 200m and 300m, and can detect where a train is only when it moves into a new section. For safety, trains are always kept at least one block apart from each other.
The new Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) relays the exact location and speed of every train to a computer, so they can travel closer together at distances of between 60m and 70m. Similar CBTC systems are already in use on the newer North-East and Circle lines.
In the blog post, SMRT also revealed that, as of November, a third of delays lasting more than five minutes were signal-related.
continue reading here :
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapor...m-on-mrt-lines
As usual never explain why the delay . Always got something to hide .