Train fault at Admiralty station on North-South Line causes south-bound delays
Published 4 hours ago
Updated 3 hours ago
Lee Min Kok
SINGAPORE - A train fault at Admiralty station caused delays for commuters taking the North-South Line (NSL) on Monday (Feb 13) morning.
The delays affected the line’s south-bound stretch from Jurong East to Ang Mo Kio stations, operator SMRT said in a tweet at 7.58am.
It said to expect additional travel time of 20 minutes.
Free regular bus services between Woodlands and Yishun stations were activated due to the fault.
Normal service resumed around 30 minutes later at 8.25am, although SMRT said to expect trains to travel slower.
This comes less than a week after the NSL was hit by a signalling fault, which caused a train to be withdrawn from service, last Friday.
Commuters complained of slower and jerkier trains, and experienced additional travel time of up to 30 minutes.
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http://www.straitstimes.com/singapor...h-bound-delays
Still haven’t solved the problem yet ?
Spate of delays on East-West line frustrates commuters, operator
Published 8 hours ago
SMRT suggests glitches will go away once signalling system is upgraded next year
Christopher Tan
Senior Transport Correspondent
Commuters affected by a spate of delays resulting from faulty track circuits on the East-West MRT Line may have to wait for at least a year before the glitches are resolved.
Half a dozen track circuit-related delays, on the Clementi-Joo Koon stretch of the line, have occurred in the past 11/2 months alone. The most serious delays were on Jan 23, Jan 19 and Jan 4, when train services were disrupted for four hours, 21/2 hours and one hour, respectively. The most recent incident was on Sunday.
SMRT said most of the incidents - which took place during peak hours - were traced to faulty track circuits, which help to keep trains at a safe distance from each other.
But the rail operator could not say why it has not been able to resolve the repeated glitches nor cite a cause other than the age of the line, which is close to 30 years old.
The Straits Times understands that there were times when technicians sent to fix a circuit fault would get a “no fault” reading on their diagnostic equipment.
SMRT suggested in its reply that the glitches - reminiscent of the signalling faults which bedevilled the Circle Line in August, September and November last year - would go away once the signalling system is upgraded next year.
“There are more than a thousand track circuits on the NSEWL (North- South and East-West Lines)… As a safety precaution, trains within the faulty track circuit would be required to be driven manually and at a slower speed. This, in turn, could cause trains behind to slow down,” said a spokesman.
This causes congestion, especially during peak hours, when trains are travelling closer to one another.
“We are working on replacing all track circuits as part of a resignalling project. In addition, the new signalling system, being more advanced than the current system which was installed 30 years ago, will be more reliable as it is built with multiple redundancies.”
SMRT had also said the disruptions were not related to the recently installed sleepers. The four-year project to upgrade sleepers on the North-South and East-West lines, from older timber sleepers to hardier concrete ones, was completed last month. It was supposed to bring smoother and safer rides.
Stockbroker Cole Cheong, 50, who takes the train from Boon Lay to Raffles Place, said the recent frequent delays have been frustrating.
“They only put up a sign saying trains between this station and that station will be delayed for 20 minutes. But, in reality, the delay is 45 minutes,” he said. “It is very confusing because no one tells us what is the real problem.”
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http://www.straitstimes.com/singapor...uters-operator
Well done PAP and SMRT
Thumbs up .
15,000 workers needed in rail sector by 2030: Khaw Boon Wan
PublishedFeb 23, 2017, 10:53 am SGT
UpdatedFeb 23, 2017, 6:35 pm
Zhaki Abdullah
SINGAPORE - The manpower needs of the rail sector here will need to grow to 15,000 by 2030, as Singapore expands its MRT network and works to improve rail reliability, said Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan on Thursday (Feb 23).
Speaking at the launch of the Singapore Rail Academy (SGRA) at the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) at Dover Drive, he added: “But I suspect we will need more than that.”
About 10,000 are currently employed by the Land Transport Authority (LTA), as well as rail operators SMRT and SBS Transit, in the fields of engineering, operations and maintenance.
“This makes the rail industry a growth industry, whose employment prospects are almost guaranteed in the next decade,” said Mr Khaw.
Mr Khaw also spoke about the challenges faced by engineers in building Singapore’s rail network.
By 2030, the network will be 360km long, reaching a rail density that is similar to London and New York today. But the two cities built their current rail networks over 100 years while Singapore is building its network in less than half that time.
He said that even as the network expands, the operators are working hard to improve the reliability of the rail system to become among the best in the world.
To reach the two goals of rail expansion and rail reliability, Singapore has to grow its pool of engineering expertise, he said.
He noted that the role of rail engineers has become more complex over the years, and that the academy will help train a new generation of rail engineers.
continue reading here :
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapor...needed-by-2030
The problem is still there that still need to be fixed . There is no short cut to checking and maintanence of the rail network . At the same time safety protocol needs to be implemented for the protection of the workers. So how is the case of the 2 sacked workers of SMRT ?
SMRT did not comply with safety procedures for staff with track access for 14 years: MOM
Stiff S$400,000 fine for SMRT is highest under Workplace Safety and Health Act
By Wong Pei Ting
Published: 6:27 PM, February 28, 2017
Updated: 8:03 PM, February 28, 2017
SINGAPORE — SMRT failed to comply with “approved operating procedures” for staff with access to train tracks between 2002 and last year’s fatal accident near Pasir Ris station that killed two trainees, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) disclosed on Tuesday (Feb 28) after the transport operator was hit with a record S$400,000 fine for the safety violation in 2016.
“These deviations were neither documented nor properly authorised,” the ministry added. “SMRT has failed to ensure that procedures practised by employees on the ground were duly audited, documented and disseminated. This resulted in an unsafe workplace that eventually led to the death of two of its employees.”
Separately, the Land Transport Authority said it was unable to comment on whether it had detected and dealt with previous cases of non-compliance by SMRT as there are still cases related to the Pasir Ris accident before the court. It will release its findings at an “appropriate juncture”, said a spokesperson.
On March 22 last year, SMRT trainees Muhammad Asyraf Ahmad Buhari, 24, and Nasrulhudin Najumudin, 26, were killed by an oncoming train travelling between Tampines and Pasir Ris MRT stations in the morning. They were part of 15-man team that went onto the tracks to check on a warning signal from a monitoring device.
According to court documents, SMRT Trains had failed to ensure that employees complied with the approved operating procedures when accessing the train track during office hours. It had also neglected to ensure that the employee’s actions passed safety audits, and were documented and disseminated.
Mr Chan Yew Kwong, director of the MOM’s occcupational safety and health inspectorate, said many workplace injuries and fatalities could be traced to “organisational and system failures” in the management of workplace safety.
“SMRT’s failure to set clear and effective safety policies for the organisation to follow resulted in the unfortunate loss of lives. There is no excuse when companies fail to protect their employees from workplace safety and health risks,” he added.
The S$400,000 fine slapped on SMRT on Tuesday is the highest ever quantum imposed under the Workplace Safety and Health Act, said MOM. SMRT could have been fined the maximum penalty of S$500,000.
continue reading here :
http://www.todayonline.com/singapore...s-14-years-mom
Only fine . They should also sack the CEO and Managing Director for Rails .
SMRT fined S$400,000 for safety lapses leading to 2016 Pasir Ris track incident
By Valerie Koh
Published: 3:58 PM, February 28, 2017
Updated: 6:32 PM, February 28, 2017
SINGAPORE — Nearly a year after two trainees were killed by an oncoming train, SMRT Trains was fined S$400,000 on Tuesday (Feb 28) for safety lapses leading to the incident.
The train operator pleaded guilty to one count of failing to ensure the safety and health of employees, under the Workplace Safety and Health Act.
On March 22 last year, SMRT trainees Muhammad Asyraf Ahmad Buhari, 24, and Nasrulhudin Najumudin, 26, were killed by an oncoming train travelling between Tampines and Pasir Ris MRT stations in the morning. They were part of 15-man team that went onto the tracks to check on a warning signal from a monitoring device.
According to court documents, SMRT Trains had failed to ensure that employees complied with the approved operating procedures when accessing the train track during office hours. It had also neglected to ensure that the employee’s actions passed safety audits, and were documented and disseminated.
On Tuesday, Deputy Public Prosecutor Anandan Bala said that these were “systemic and prolonged” breaches. “This is not a one-off incident. Here, (the) breach was committed by workmen on the ground and station managers. This was done with approval from Operations Control Centre,” he said.
And while SMRT had taken remedial measures post-incident, the prosecution argued that these measures are not difficult to implement and should have been in place years ago.
Senior Counsel Andre Maniam, representing the rail operator, argued that the actions taken on the ground were not approved or authorised by SMRT senior management.
In his sentencing remarks, District Judge Chay Yuen Fatt said that it was highly disconcerting that the failures were systemic and had occurred on many levels. Despite safety protocols in place, the procedures on the ground had evolved over time in a “haphazard fashion”, he said.
“Employees were left to adopt whatever practice they deemed convenient. Official safety protocols on paper were either unknown to employees or completely disregarded,” he added.
Two others – a director and a former assistant engineer – have also been charged in relation to the incident.
continue reading here :
http://www.todayonline.com/singapore...track-incident
Suggest that the fine money be donated to the 2 families affected by the deaths of the 2 trainees .
Singapore trains equipped with automatic fire detection system: Shanmugam
Posted 28 Feb 2017 21:52
Updated 28 Feb 2017 23:41
SINGAPORE: The automatic fire detection system will be triggered to alert the station staff and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) should a fire break out in the MRT train, said Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam on Tuesday (Feb 28).
Member of Parliament for Tampines GRC Desmond Choo tabled a question in Parliament on measures to handle arson attacks on MRT trains, after a man in Hong Kong set himself on fire in an MTR train at Tsim Sha Tsui earlier this month.
“Our Home Team departments and the public transport operators (PTOs) are prepared to deal with emergencies in MRT trains, including fires,” said Mr Shanmugam in a written Parliamentary reply.
The Home Affairs Minister added that there are established procedures to evacuate commuters to safety and to deal with different situations, regardless of whether the fire occurs when the train is at the station or on the tracks.
In the event of fire, the SCDF will extinguish it, rescue the injured and provide them with medical assistance while the police maintain law and order, Mr Shanmugam said.
Trains on Singapore’s rail network are also designed with fire safety in mind, with features to prevent the spread of fire and ensure commuter safety, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) earlier told Channel NewsAsia. It said fire safety features include a “fire-retardant” train car body made with materials that delay the combustion of fuels.
Train floorings are also fire-resistant, and each train is equipped with fire and smoke detection systems as well as two fire extinguishers, LTA said, adding that the features are in line with international railway standards.
ARSON ATTACKS CALL FOR HEIGHTENED LEVEL OF VIGILANCE
Referring to the incident in Hong Kong, Mr Shanmugam said such arson attacks, whether the act of a criminal or a terrorist, call for a heightened level of vigilance and preparedness.
The Public Transport Security Command (TransCom) was formed in 2009 to conduct security patrols of Singapore’s public transport system, including MRT trains and stations.
“TransCom officers are trained to look out for suspicious persons and approach them for further checks,” Mr Shanmugam said. “They are also the first line of response to any security incidents in the public transport system.”
The Home Team departments and PTOs also conduct regular exercises to validate and familiarise ground officers with emergency response protocols.
“The Home Team will continue to work with the PTOs to build on the current training and outreach initiatives, including conducting exercises that enhance their preparedness in the event of a terror attack,” said Mr Shanmugam.
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SMRT has high culpability in fatal accident: Judge
Elena Chong, The Straits Times
Mar 01, 2017 06:00 am
A district judge was scathing in his remarks on SMRT Trains after imposing a record $400,000 fine yesterday on the company over an accident last year in which two trainees died.
Meting out the deterrent fine, District Judge Chay Yuen Fatt found that SMRT’s culpability was high and that the “failures were fundamental and serious”.
What the employees were doing on the day in question was highly dangerous, he said.
He said that while it was revealed that there were operating procedures in existence, they, sadly, were “not worth the paper on which these were printed, if they were printed at all”.
SMRT had pleaded guilty yesterday to one charge under the Workplace Safety and Health Act for failing to take measures necessary to ensure the safety and health of its employees who had to access the train tracks during traffic hours.
On March 22 last year, two trainees died when a train hit them shortly after they stepped onto the tracks, in SMRT’s worst fatal rail incident.
Mr Nasrulhudin Najumudin, 26, and Mr Muhammad Asyraf Ahmad Buhari, 24, were part of a 15-member team sent to check on an apparent fault when they were hit by the train near Pasir Ris MRT station.
In his remarks, the judge noted the scale of the lapses and SMRT’s ignorance of its staff’s practices.
He said: “It was also highly disconcerting and aggravating that the failures were systemic and had occurred on many levels, and that, at the very least, SMRT ought to have known of these failures, even if it did not in fact know of them.”
He went into further details on the operating procedures and said that not only were these not followed, but a completely different and clearly unsafe set of practices had been adopted for a long time by SMRT employees.
HAPHAZARD
The practices appeared to have evolved in a haphazard fashion to suit the convenience of the employees. These were neither documented nor disseminated. The official safety protocols were either unknown or completely disregarded.
The judge also found that the potential for harm was high.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Anandan Bala said this was not a one-off incident.
As early as 2002, the Operations Control Centre, which is in charge of granting permission for and supervising track access, had been approving requests that did not comply with the operating procedures.
This was SMRT’s third transgression of workplace safety within a short span of 5½ years, he said.
In mitigation, SMRT’s lawyers, Senior Counsel Andre Maniam and Ms Jenny Tsin, said the company has reviewed and tightened its operating procedures.
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Doll found on train tracks: No evidence of security breach, says Khaw Boon Wan
Pearl Lee
SINGAPORE- The authorities have investigated the case of a doll placed on the ledge of the MRT tracks at Dhoby Ghaut station, and found no evidence of a security breach, Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan told Parliament on Thursday (March 2).
The Land Transport Authority and the police came to this conclusion after reviewing closed-circuit television footage and physically checking on the possible track access points, he said.
A commuter on board the North-South Line train towards Jurong East had spotted the doll on the tracks at Dhoby Ghaut station in late January. She posted a photo of the doll on her Twitter account, and her tweet was shared more than 8,000 times, with netizens speculating how the doll ended up there.
Train operator SMRT removed the doll the next day, and started investigations into the matter.
Mr Khaw was responding to Non-constituency MP Leon Perera, who had asked about the outcome of the investigation.
Offering a suggestion for how the doll got there, Mr Khaw said: “One possible explanation is that the doll was accidentally dropped by a commuter through the platform gap, and then picked up and placed on the tunnel wall by a worker.”
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Fiscal burden of public transport spending must be balanced, says Khaw
By Tan Weizhen
Published: 12:53 PM, March 8, 2017
Updated: 2:02 PM, March 8, 2017
SINGAPORE – Taxpayers have been increasingly subsisiding the higher operating costs of the public transport network, a situation that is not sustainable going forward, Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said on Wednesday (March 8) as he asked commuters to be ‘understanding’ when fares were to be adjusted upwards.
The Public Transport Council (PTC) will be reviewing the fare formula which will expire after the 2017 fare exercise, the minister noted at the ongoing Committee of Supply debate on the Transport Ministry’s budget.
“But remember, the PTC cannot always bring good news, sometimes they have to adjust fares upwards. And when they do, I hope commuters will be understanding.” Mr Khaw added.
In his speech, he laid out the projected higher investments and expenditures for the public transportation network in the years ahead.
The Government expects to subsidise public bus services by some S$3.5 to S$4 billion over the next five years under the new Bus Contracting Model, where it is responsible for buying and replacing buses.
Fare revenue, he said, is not sufficient to cover operating costs, which incurs a huge deficit. “As fares have not kept up with rising costs, taxpayers have to subsidise more and more of the operation costs, especially as we have been raising service standards significantly,” he said.
continue reading here :
http://m.todayonline.com/singapore/f...nced-says-khaw
Hosay liao more price increases coming .
Higher target for rail reliability standards: Khaw Boon Wan
By Lianne Chia
Posted 08 Mar 2017 12:43
Updated 08 Mar 2017 12:50
SINGAPORE: The Government will raise its rail reliability standards for this year, announced Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan on Wednesday (Mar 8).
Speaking in Parliament during his ministry’s Committee of Supply debate, Mr Khaw set a new Mean Kilometre Between Failure (MKBF) target of 300,000 train-kilometres for the overall MRT network this year. This means that trains will need to travel an average of 300,000 kilometres before experiencing a service delay of more than five minutes.
Mr Khaw noted that in the first half of last year, the MKBF crossed 160,000 train-kilometres, and further improved to 192,000 train-kilometres in the second half of last year. This is close to his target of 200,000, he said. Next year, the target will be raised even higher, to 400,000.
But he stressed that raising train reliability is a “multi-year effort”, and the Government needs time, because replacing ageing assets takes time.
He said the Government has replaced all the old sleepers, and will replace the old third rail system this year. He added that the upgrade of the North-South Line’s signalling system will soon be completed, and the same will be done next year for the East-West Line.
“But let me sound a precautionary alert,” he said. “Re-signalling is a complex operation. Getting it done perfectly, flawlessly, is almost impossible. That has been the painful experience of London, Hong Kong and Taipei. They warned us that we should expect many teething problems when we cut over the signalling system to the new one this year.”
“We will do our best to minimise inconvenience, but be prepared for some hitches. So, please bear with us.”
EXPANSION OF RAIL SYSTEM ON TRACK
In his speech, Mr Khaw added that the expansion of the rail system is “on track”, with the rail network growing by 1km every month on average. This year, the East-West Line will be extended by four stations to Tuas West, and the Downtown Line by 16 stations to Singapore Expo, he said.
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