Hougang bag scare handled correctly
Security experts: Vital to err on side of caution due to terrorism threat
Ng Huiwen, The Straits Times
Apr 04, 2017 06:00 am
It was prudent and necessary for the police and SBS Transit to react the way they did after an unattended bag was found at Hougang MRT station on Sunday afternoon, security experts said.
A 39-year-old Chinese national caused a security scare after he left a bag on the platform while running an errand. The bag was later found to contain household items.
The experts said the incident happened during a period of heightened threat of terrorism in the region.
Associate Professor Kumar Ramakrishna, head of Policy Studies and coordinator of the National Security Studies Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), said: “Trains and train stations… are ’target-rich environments’ for terrorists to inflict maximum casualties.
“It was prudent to close the station to ensure no civilians would have been injured in a worst case scenario of a bomb going off.”
He cited past terrorist attacks mounted on transport networks, such as in Mumbai in 2008 and London in 2005.
The man being led away by police officers yesterday.
In Sunday’s incident, the station on the North-East Line (NEL) was shut for about 20 minutes, after emergency forces were activated.
The man was arrested for public nuisance, with investigations still continuing.
Professor Rohan Gunaratna, who heads the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at RSIS, said the authorities did not over-react.
He said it was essential to err on the side of caution, given the emergence of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in the region.
“The Government will not take any risks and it will not relax its security after this incident,” he added, although he noted that responses to such incidents should be calibrated.
Criminal lawyer Amolat Singh called for laws relating to such incidents to be sharpened to reflect the security climate.
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http://www.tnp.sg/news/singapore/hou...dled-correctly
For once I have to agree that the incident was handled correctly . However my question now is how safe are our mrt trains ?
Man arrested for security scare at Hougang MRT station out on police bail
Published: 4:03 PM, April 4, 2017
SINGAPORE — A 39-year-old man arrested for sparking a security scare at Hougang MRT station with an unattended bag on Sunday has been released on police bail while investigations are ongoing, TODAY understands.
The man, who has not been identified, reportedly left his luggage bag unattended at the Hougang MRT station on Sunday afternoon and went off to run an errand. This triggered a security scare that shut down the station for over an hour as the police were called in to inspect the bag’s contents.
The police found only household items in the bag. The man was arrested for causing public alarm, and was escorted out of the Hougang MRT station in handcuffs at around 7.30pm on Sunday.
Addressing the incident in a speech on Tuesday, Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said closing the station on Sunday was the “right thing to do”.
“There were questions as to whether we overreacted. But if it were really a bomb, then the question will be why we didn’t, so closing it was the right thing to do,” he said in a speech at the Milipol Asia-Pacific 2017, an exhibition on homeland security.
The minister added that he was “heartened” by the immediate decision to shut down the Hougang station, after the man was seen on a security camera leaving behind his bag and walking away.
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Installation of noise barriers along MRT tracks to be finished in 2022, instead of 2019
Published 1 min ago
Adrian Lim
SINGAPORE - The second phase of a project to install noise barriers along elevated MRT tracks will be pushed back by three years, and finished in 2022 instead of 2019.
Announcing the new completion date on Tuesday (April 4), Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said in Parliament: “There has been a delay due to the need to review the effectiveness of phase one.”
Mr Khaw said the tender for phase two, which is expected to cover about 9km of tracks, will be called in the next couple of months.
After the tender is awarded, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will require time to finalise the designs for each of the locations where the barriers will be constructed, Mr Khaw said.
Installation of the barriers will start in 2020 but the timeline will need to be “closely coordinated with many other rail maintenance, improvement, and upgrading works that compete for the very limited engineering hours”, added Mr Khaw.
Mr Khaw was responding to MP Lee Bee Wah (Nee Soon GRC), who asked about noise barriers at the tracks near Khatib MRT station, a stretch which has been identified for phase two.
Works to construct noise barriers at MRT tracks started at the end of 2013, to help reduce noise levels for passing trains by about five to 10 decibels, providing nearby residents with a better living environment
The first phase of the project was split into two contracts, the first involving 10km of noise barriers at 16 locations, which included Admiralty, Marsiling, Sembawang, Ang Mo Kio, Pioneer and Yew Tee.
The second contract under phase one, for 3.5km of noise barriers in Clementi, Eunos and Lakeside, has a targetfinish date for later this year.
Ms Lee said quite a number of her residents had requested the barriers because their sleep had been affected by the noise.
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http://www.straitstimes.com/singapor...n-2022-instead
One problem after another .
PTC starts review of public transport fare formula
Posted 05 Apr 2017 11:17
Updated 05 Apr 2017 11:30
SINGAPORE: The Public Transport Council (PTC) has started its review of the public transport fare adjustment formula and mechanism, it said on Wednesday (Apr 5).
The council targets to complete the review by the first quarter of next year, and apply it starting from the 2018 annual fare review exercise.
PTC said it will review the effectiveness of the current fare adjustment formula and mechanism, and propose improvements while keeping in mind the changes to the public transport industry.
“The review shall focus on maintaining a good balance in keeping public transport fares affordable while ensuring the financial viability of the public transport system,” it said.
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http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/...a/3653522.html
Another price increase coming . This year is really the mother of all price increases
Public Transport Council starts review of fare formula; PTC chairman says “service improvements come at a cost”
Published 36 min ago
Adrian Lim
SINGAPORE - The Public Transport Council (PTC) has started a review of the formula that is used to adjust bus and train fares.
Announcing this on Wednesday (April 5), the council said it will “focus on maintaining a good balance in keeping public transport fares affordable while ensuring the financial viability of the public transport system”.
The PTC said it targets to complete the review by the first quarter of 2018, and apply the new formula starting from that year’s fare review exercise.
Citing its terms of reference, the PTC said it shall “review the effectiveness of the current fare adjustment formula and mechanism, and propose improvements in consideration of the changes to the public transport industry”.
The current formula - which takes into account changes in the inflation rate, wages and an energy index that charts oil and electricity costs - will continue to be used for this year’s fare adjustment exercise. It has been used since 2013.
Parliament: Bus, train commuters should share cost of better service, says Khaw Boon Wan
Using the formula, bus and train commuters enjoyed an overall fare reduction of 4.2 per cent last year, which took effect on Dec 30.
In a blog post, PTC chairman Richard Magnus said the council will consult widely, and engage commuters, public transport operators, experts and other stakeholders.
He noted how the public transportation system has evolved, with the introduction of more trains and buses, and improvements in service reliability.
He also highlighted that the Government has taken over the ownership of bus and rail assets under the Bus Contracting Model and New Rail Financing Framework, and is now “bearing the cost of improvements” to the public transport system.
“As highlighted during the Committee of Supply debate, the Government expects to spend close to $4 billion over the next five years to subsidise public bus services, and another $4 billion over the next five years on replacing rail assets,” he said.
Noting that this is in addition to the $20 billion the Government has committed to building new infrastructure, Mr Magnus said: “Service improvements come at a cost.”
“There will need to be equitable cost sharing among commuters, taxpayers and public transport operators,” he said.
Last month, Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said in Parliament that it was not sustainable for taxpayers to increasingly subsidise the costs of running Singapore’s public transport system.
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http://www.straitstimes.com/singapor...n-says-service
Hello share what cost ? Haven’t the government already taken taxpayers’ money to buy over the assets of SBS and SMRT ? Using taxpayers’ money for private run companies without asking for approval of your taxpayers ? On top of top the mrt & lrt systems still breakdown . Do you think it is fair for your commuters ?
Why MRT rail junction replacement works require more time now
Published 4 hours ago
Updated 3 hours ago
Christopher Tan
Senior Transport Correspondent
SINGAPORE - The replacement of rail junctions require more time now than before because of higher service frequency and competing works that are going on after revenue service.
This is why train services along some parts of the East-West Line will end earlier on several days in April and May.
SMRT Trains deputy director of permanent way Kelvin Tan said at a briefing on Friday morning (April 7) that the replacement of railway junctions - totalling 170 in the North-South, East-West line network - would all be done after revenue hours.
Typically, SMRT engineers would lock up the switching rail at a junction - the part which moves to allow trains to switch to another direction - for the day to finish the replacement work.
SMRT Trains deputy director of permanent way Kelvin Tan explaining the replacement works
Trains at a terminal station would then have to turn around at another nearby junction - something which takes a bit more time.
But because trains are running at a higher frequency today than “four to five years ago”, Mr Tan said locking up a junction would cause unacceptable delays to more commuters.
Mr Tan added that other projects in the network, such as resignaling and third rail replacement, meant that there were shorter windows for the junction replacement works.
He said engineering hours - the time after the last train pulls into the depot and the first train starts running in the morning - have “always been insufficient”.
“But because of all the other activities today, things have become even tighter,” he said.
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Early MRT station closure for rail junction replacement due to time squeeze
By Jalelah Abu Baker
Posted 07 Apr 2017 15:00
Updated 07 Apr 2017 15:46
SINGAPORE: The replacement of rail junctions along the East-West MRT line will require several stations to close early in April and May to allow maintenance staff more time on the tracks amid competing works.
Other ongoing works, such as train testing and third rail replacement, have meant there is less time for staff to work on the rail junctions, said Mr Kelvin Tan, deputy director, Permanent Way projects, at SMRT Trains.
Speaking on Friday (Apr 7) at a media briefing held at SMRT’s Bishan Depot, he said: “For example, if I need to work at Clementi, but I have colleagues working with me on Jurong East or Dover, and they need to pass by my working site, I will have to wait for them to finish their passage before I can start work.”
In the past, there was less congestion on the tracks, he added.
The replacement of these junctions, which are commonly found at interchange stations and terminal stations, is part of regular maintenance works done every three to five years. The rail junctions being replaced are used heavily, up to 300 times a day. Other junctions along the tracks are used less than 10 times a day, in comparison.
The replacement, which involves cutting and welding, has previously taken a total of about nine hours spread over three nights. By closing the stations early, the work should be completed in about seven hours over two nights, he said.
During the works, components of the junctions, which steer the trains into a different direction, will be replaced. The length of track being replaced measures 15 to 20m.
Stations between Tanah Merah and Changi Airport, and between Lakeside and Joo Koon, will close at 11pm on a few days in April and in early May. The renewal of railway junctions forms part of ongoing works to improve the North-South and East-West Lines - Singapore’s oldest, longest and most heavily utilised MRT line.
Another round of early closures can be expected in June along other stretches of the North-South and East-West Lines, SMRT said in its first statement on Mar 31.
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Delays on East-West Line on Tuesday morning due to train fault
Date: 2017-04-11
(Source:
)
SINGAPORE – A train fault caused delays on the East-West Line (EWL) during morning rush hour on Tuesday (April 11).
SMRT first warned commuters in a tweet at 7.44am to expect an additional 25 minutes travel time between Joo Koon and Queenstown stations.
It added that free regular bus services are available.
[EWL]: Due to a train fault, pls add 25mins travel time between #JooKoon & #Queenstown. Train service is still available.
— SMRT Corporation (@SMRT_Singapore) April 10, 2017
“
[EWL] UPDATE: Free regular bus services are available between #JooKoon & #Queenstown.
— SMRT Corporation (@SMRT_Singapore) April 10, 2017
“
The fault was cleared at 8.08am, according to SMRT.
[EWL]UPDATE:Train fault cleared , trains are progressively returning to normal speed. Pls add 10mins travel time btwn #JooKoon & #Queenstown
— SMRT Corporation (@SMRT_Singapore) April 11, 2017
“
This is the second day in a row that commuters have experienced delays on the EWL.
On Monday afternoon, there were delays of up to 15 minutes between Bugis and Tanah Merah stations due to a platform screen door fault at Bedok station
continue reading here :
http://www.straitstimes.com/singapor...to-train-fault
Bosses please do not scold your workers for being late to work . It is not their fault . Please scold LTA ; SMRT and Mr Khaw.
New NSL signalling system to be tested on Sundays for two months
By Kenneth Cheng
Published: 11:05 AM, April 12, 2017
Updated: 12:12 PM, April 12, 2017
SINGAPORE — From this Sunday (April 16), tests on the new signalling system on the North-South Line (NSL) will be expanded to all-day service on Sundays, after a string of successful trials during the final hour of train services since last month.
The all-day Sunday trials on the 26-station line are expected to last two months, the Land Transport Authority and rail operator SMRT said on Wednesday (April 12) in an update at a press briefing.
Trains that depart the depots will operate on the new signalling system from the start of services. They will no longer halt for 10 minutes, as they did during earlier trials.
The LTA and SMRT said the Sunday trials would allow them to run more tests on the system’s reliability and monitor its response to various situations. They will also determine how train services adhere to schedules, as more trains run on the new system gradually as part of the trials.
The Sunday trials will involve up to forty-one trains that run on the NSL on Sundays, up from over 30 trains during the weeknight trials.
Meanwhile, the first of 57 new trains that will be added to the North-South and East-West lines will carry its first passengers on the NSL on Sunday. Fitted with the new system, 45 of these trains have reached Singapore since May 2015 and have undergone rigorous tests.
More than a fortnight ago, the LTA and SMRT began testing the new system during operating hours. Test runs during non-service hours, which kicked off in August, have concluded.
Putting the system through the motions during service hours would take the trial into a real-life environment with commuters on board.
With the new system, trains will run at closer intervals: During peak hours, they will arrive within 100 seconds of each other, instead of 120 seconds, easing congestion and making for quicker commutes.
Equipped with features that provide for greater redundancy in the event of a signal fault, it will also improve rail reliability, since critical components are duplicated as back-up.
Testing the system progressively will allow issues to be dealt with as they emerge and minimise inconvenience to commuters, the LTA and SMRT said.
continue reading here :
http://www.todayonline.com/new-nsl-s...ays-two-months
So now cannot say signal fault . But can LTA and SMRT guarantee that there will be no more train service disruptions ?
New trains boast information displays and brighter LED lighting
By Kenneth Cheng
Published: 4:00 AM, April 13, 2017
Updated: 8:56 AM, April 13, 2017
SINGAPORE — On Sunday (April 16), commuters on the North-South Line may be riding in the first of a fleet of new trains, outfitted with fresh features, ranging from more comprehensive information displays to brighter LED lighting.
A total of 57 of these new trains will be added to the North-South and East-West lines to enlarge capacity, and they will arrive by 2019. The trains have LCD screens providing information such as the current and upcoming stops as well as places of interests near stations. They also list details of a station’s layout, among other things.
Compared with the fluorescent lights fitted on older trains, the new trains — made by Japanese train manufacturer Kawasaki Heavy Industries and China-based CSR Sifang — use LED lights, which conserve more energy and are brighter.
The trains also have electric doors, instead of pneumatic ones — powered by compressed air — in older models, making for improved precision. Each door also has a diagnostic function that allows information to be downloaded to a computer to detect malfunctioning parts. Two of the six train cars will have areas marked out for wheelchairs.
continue reading here :
http://www.todayonline.com/singapore...r-led-lighting
Will there be any more disruption in services ?