Taipei Metro gives fare discounts for breakdowns while PAP MP wants fares to be increased
Published on 2018-03-19 by Vincent Low
It was reported in Channel News Asia on Sat (17 Mar) that Taipei Metro, under Mr B C Yen who has over 40 years’ experience in the transportation industry, has enabled Taipei Metro to become one of the most reliable subway system in the world, averaging 1,000,000 km between delays (exceeding five minutes).
Singapore’s MRT system under former Chief of Defence Force LG Desmond Kuek, however, could barely make the 400,000 km mark. LG Kuek came from a military background.
When he was appointed CEO of SMRT in 2012, then Chairman Koh Yong Guan said, “After an extensive search and selection process, we are pleased that we have someone of Desmond’s background and calibre joining SMRT as the new CEO. SMRT is undergoing considerable change, not just in the way we operate transport services and serve our customers, but also how we will continue to grow as a company. Desmond has the attributes and proven qualities to lead SMRT through these challenges.”
Taipei Metro upholds high standards when there are delays
CNA also reported that Taipei Metro upholds high standards when there are train delays. Commuters are notified after five minutes, if not sooner. SMRT on the other hand, only informs commuters of delays exceeding 10 minutes. TOC also often notes that SMRT fail to highlight delays when it is supposed to.
Taipei Metro’s operation control centre director Hsu Tai-Ming said, “Five minutes is a standard, but if I already know a situation would cause longer delays, I’d start notifying passengers after three minutes.”
Indeed, commuter trust is high for Taipei Metro. Taipei resident Wan Qi-Wei told CNA, “We won’t make a point of checking for delays before we head out. We’re very confident in the system.”
continue reading here :
https://www.theonlinecitizen.com/201...-be-increased/
Why can’t Singapore learn from Metro Taipei ? Bad mrt service still want to charge us normal fare . On top of that got some MP even suggest want to raise transport fares .
East-West Line stations to continue to have shorter hours over weekends in April: SMRT
22 Mar 2018 01:05PM
SINGAPORE: All 35 MRT stations along the East-West Line (EWL) will continue to open later and close earlier for all weekends in April as testing and maintenance works on the rail line continue, train operator SMRT said on Thursday (Mar 22).
The train services along the line - from Tuas Link to Pasir Ris, and from Tanah Merah to Changi Airport - have been ending earlier and starting later on weekends since March. They will continue to close earlier at about 11pm every Friday and Saturday and open later at about 8am every Saturday and Sunday in April, SMRT said.
The extended engineering hours allow more time to run the line fully on the new Communications-Based Train Control signalling system and to test the system’s integration with the North-South Line (NSL), according to SMRT.
“Up to 100 trains have been deployed on both the EWL and NSL on selected nights to stress-test the system. This progressive approach prepares the system for eventual tests during EWL passenger service hours in the coming months,” the train operator added.
Read more at
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news...-over-10066280
Still need more testing ??? You have been testing since middle of last year .
Such world class transport mrt system . By the way I am still boycotting SMRT Trains for now .
BPLRT to close on Sundays from April 15 to June 24 for maintenance work: SMRT
Published 23 March, 2018
Updated 23 March, 2018
SINGAPORE ― From April 15, the Bukit Panjang Light Rail Transit (BPLRT) will be closed for maintenance works every Sunday up to, and including, June 24. SMRT has announced.
On these 11 Sundays, shuttle buses that run parallel to the BPLRT network will be available for commuters, the rail operator said on Friday (March 23).
The maintenance works include the replacement of sections of the power rails to improve the robustness of the current power rail system, and the replacement of track switch components that control train movement along the tracks.
SMRT will also step up the ongoing replacement of parts of the doors and propulsion systems of LRT trains when services are not running on Sundays.
continue reading here :
https://www.todayonline.com/singapor...intenance-work
Such a simple system also don’t know how to maintain . Must wait until something happens than take action . I pity the residents of Bukit Panjang .
PTC releases 2018 fare formula review, higher fares expected to pay for higher operating cost
Published on 2018-03-23 by Neyla Zannia
The Public Transport Council (PTC) announced that it is revising the fare formula to ensure that fares keep pace with changes in the public transport industry’s cost structure. This formula forms the basis for the PTC’s deliberation at each year’s fare review exercise, where the PTC grants fare adjustments.
The fare formula review is typically done once every five years and the 2017/2018 review was completed after a year-long consultation with commuters, operators and industry experts, said PTC.
“Over the past few years, the public transport landscape has evolved significantly to bring greater convenience to commuters,” the council said.
First, public transport capacity has increased by around 25% from 2012 to 2017. In particular, more than 1,000 new buses have been introduced through the Bus Service Enhancement Programme and Bus Contracting Model since 2012. Over the same period, around 200 new trains were injected into the network to augment the capacity of existing rail lines.
Second, the public transport network has become denser with the addition of new lines and extensions, which have led to an increase in the length of our rail network by 74km. A denser network provides more network resilience and opens up more travel connections and routes for commuters. For example, some commuters now have the option of walking between stations to get onto another nearby rail line.
These capacity upgrades and network expansions are necessary and have been welcomed by commuters. However, they come at a cost.
continue reading here :
Why do we keep changing the transport fares formula to the detriment of commuters?
Published on 2018-03-23 by The Online Citizen
I refer to the article “Public transport fare formula to take into account network expansion and usage” (Straits Times, Mar 22).
It states that “The Public Transport Council (PTC), which announced this on Thursday (March 22), said that the network capacity factor (NCF) will give equal weighting to additional capacity put into both the bus and train networks.”
As to “The NCF compares the usage of the network against the capacity added. For example, if the network capacity were to increase more than ridership, this would result in an increase in the NCF component, thereby increasing the fare cap” – the timing of this change in the fare formula may be rather coincidental – as “The North-South and East-West MRT lines – Singapore’s oldest and most heavily used rail systems – posted a rare dip in ridership last year.
… average daily ridership on the two lines was 1.823 million last year, 3.1 percent lower than in 2016. This shrinkage reversed an almost continuous upward trend seen since the two lines opened 30 years ago.”
continue reading here :
https://www.theonlinecitizen.com/201...-of-commuters/
Yah service still so fucked up still dare to increase fares .
SMRT reports 68% fall in profits in 2017
The public transport operator sees revenues plunge as it copes with increasing operating expenses.
27 Mar 2018 01:52PM (Updated: 27 Mar 2018 02:47PM)
SINGAPORE: SMRT earned S$26 million in after-tax profits in 2017, a stark contrast to the S$81 million reported the previous year.
According to the latest group review report released on its website on Tuesday (Mar 27), the public transport operator also recorded a fall in revenue of S$791 million for 2017 as compared to S$811 million in the previous year, citing “lower average fare”.
Meanwhile, SMRT’s earnings before interest and tax for the financial year of 2017 was recorded as S$27 million after it recorded S$97 million in the previous year.
The fall in earnings was in light of increasing operating expenses, SMRT said. This is due to “higher maintenance-related expenses for the ageing network” as well as “preparation for operating Tuas West Extension”, it added. The Tuas West extension to the East-West Line officially opened in June 2016.
Details of operating data revealed in the review showed an increase in average weekday ridership from 756 million in 2016 to 768 million in 2017.
Read more at
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news...-2017-10079750
How can there be an increased in operating expenses when the LTA takes over all the rail assets ?
Is this a fake news ? So should the CEO of SMRT be sacked for his inability to improve SMRT’s revenues fortunes despite under the new rail model ?
SMRT CEO Desmond Kuek: Low fares affecting my profits
March 27, 2018
Blaming “lower average fare”, Temasek Holdings-owned SMRT posted a S$26 million profit in 2017, significantly lower than 2016’s S$81 million. SMRT wrote in it’s annual report that it’s profits are affected by “higher maintenance-related expenses for the ageing network”.
Due to the increased number of train breakdowns, the total distance travelled by passengers reduced from 8,322 million kms in 2016 to 8,271 million kms in 2017. However, the CEO of SMRT, Desmond Kuek, claimed that rail reliability has “improved” by up to “115%”:
“Last year, Mean Kilometres Between Failure (MKBF), a reliability indicator used by international metros, improved on the Circle Line to 523,000km, 129% better than in 2016. The North-South Line (NSL) and East-West Line (EWL) achieved 336,000km and 278,000km, improving by 115% and 92% respectively compared with the previous year. Early indications this year show promising results, and we expect to reach even closer to our goal of 1 million in MKBF.”
SMRT also reproduced a fake survey conducted by the Singapore government showing 91.8% satisfaction in train service.
You may read the SMRT Group Review here.
Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan has earlier last week promised to increase fares for SMRT and SBS Transit, and blamed the old fare calculation formula for cutting profits. In his earlier statement, the PAP Minister said fares are “too cheap”.
continue reading here :
Fewer train delays in 2017 despite major incidents that ‘shook public confidence’: SMRT
By Fann Sim
28 Mar 2018 01:00PM (Updated: 28 Mar 2018 03:16PM)
SINGAPORE: SMRT trains travelled further with fewer delays in 2017 compared to the year before, said SMRT at a press conference on Wednesday (Mar 28).
For the North-South Line (NSL), mean-kilometre between failure (MKBF), which measures delays of more than five minutes, has doubled from 156,000km in December 2016 to 336,000km in December 2017.
In the same period, the MKBF for the East-West Line (EWL) increased from 145,000km to 278,000km, while the Circle Line’s (CCL) MKBF increased from 228,000km to 523,000km.
For the first two months of this year, SMRT said that the MKBF for NSL and CCL has already exceeded next year’s target of 600,000km and credits this to the completion of sleeper and third rail replacement as well as the stabilisation of the new Communications-based Train Control (CBTC) signalling system.
The EWL is expected to catch up after it settles into the new signalling system, which will be fast-tracked to be implemented by June instead of end-2018, said SMRT.
“The reliability statistics show steady improvement especially in the last two to three years. But we acknowledge that they do not seem to square with commuters’ experience on the North-South and East-West Lines last year,” said Mr Desmond Kuek, president and Group CEO of SMRT.
“This is because of project-related disruptions faced between May to October in the implementation of the new CBTC signalling system. This data is not captured in the MKBF numbers because MKBF data is used for comparing the intrinsic reliability of the network from year to year, without the temporal and possibly distortive effect of short-term projects,” Mr Kuek added.
SMRT said that a majority of faults caused by the new CBTC were caused by a loss of train-to-trackside signal. When this happens, emergency brakes immediately kick in as a safety precaution. The affected train has to be reset causing an initial delay.
More software patches and hardware changes will continue to be made in the coming months, before SMRT moves entirely onto the new CBTC system at the end of May 2018.
GETTING TO ZERO TRAIN INCIDENTS
Mr Kuek said that the organisation is “gunning for zero safety breaches and zero delays of more than 30 minutes” but did not indicate a timeline as to when SMRT will realise this target.
However, SMRT has set the target of achieving 1 million in MKBF by 2020. Calling this a “bold” target, Mr Kuek said this works out to an average of less than one delay lasting more than five minutes each month, based on the estimation that trains on the NSL travel about 900,000km a month.
Two incidents in 2017, Mr Kuek said, shook public confidence in train safety and reliability - flooding in the Bishan-Braddell tunnel and a collision at Joo Koon MRT station.
“Both incidents were most regrettable, and gave us cause to pause, reflect on shortcomings and resolve to do better to address underlying discipline and process issues that led to the breaches,” he said.
Last year, there were nine incidents that lasted more than 30 mins, excluding CBTC-related delays. This is three fewer than in 2016, SMRT said.
“Our goal is to reduce any delay to less than five minutes and in the worst, ensure that it does not last longer than 30 minutes. It is these major incidents, lasting longer than 30 minutes that we must strenuously avoid,” Mr Kuek said.
Singapore Management University transport economist Terence Fan said that the goal of achieving 1 million in MKBF is “not entirely impossible but at the same time not something SMRT has done before”.
Read more at
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news...dents-10082722
Another FAKE NEWS by SMRT ? Why now only count 30 mins as a disruption ? I thought LTA said 10 mins is considered disruptions and announcement need to be made ? You think we commuters are stupid or what ? A delay is still a delay . No doubt about that .
SMRT increases amount of fare revenue used for maintenance
SMRT says that 60 cents out of every dollar collected in fares is being spent on maintenance.
By Fann Sim
28 Mar 2018 03:41PM (Updated: 28 Mar 2018 03:50PM)
SINGAPORE: SMRT has increased the amount of fare revenue collected from passengers that it directs towards maintenance-related expenditure, said the company’s president and Group CEO Desmond Kuek in a press conference on Wednesday (Mar 28).
Last year, 50 cents of every fare dollar was used for maintenance, but this has gone up to 60 cents in 2018.
“This is the kind of level we are seeing as we ramp up towards even higher reliability, and of course we have to work with all our partners and stakeholders to make sure that this is sustainable going forward,” said Mr Kuek.
“I think more than 60 per cent is already very, very high in terms of the proportion of the amount of revenue that we are able to generate that goes into maintenance-related expenditures,” he added.
Mr Kuek also said that the portion of fare income used for maintenance is not expected to go higher.
Read more at
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news...nance-10083282
Yet another FAKE NEWS ? I thought LTA had taken over all the rail assets and maintenance under the new rail financing model ?
Number of significant delays on NSEWL falls to lowest in 13 months
By Louisa Tang
Published 27 March, 2018
Updated 28 March, 2018
SINGAPORE — The number of significant MRT service delays on the North-South and East-West Lines (NSEWL) fell in February to the lowest in at least 13 months, data from rail operator SMRT showed on Wednesday (March 28).
It also marked the first time since January last year that there were zero delays lasting more than five minutes in an entire month, except for those linked to teething issues arising from SMRT’s overhaul of its signalling system. Data before January last year is unavailable.
Last month, there was less than a handful of delays lasting more than five minutes caused by issues with the new Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC) system and the legacy signalling system.
Prior to February, the NSEWL had been dogged by significant delays — particularly in the middle of last year, when the number of delays lasting more than five minutes averaged as high as one per day. These were due to the teething issues as well as train, track or rolling stock faults.
For example, there was a two-hour delay during the evening peak period n the North-South Line and Tuas West Extension on June 28 last year due to problems with the CBTC system.
The system, which is operational on the North-South Line, was first trialled on the East-West Line towards the end of last month.
SMRT plans to fully implement the CBTC system on the East-West Line by June, instead of the end-2018 deadline which was set earlier.
continue reading here :
https://www.todayonline.com/singapor...west-13-months
Sure or not ? Is your report accurate ?