Third train disruption this week; Delay along NSL and EWL on Thursday morning
Published on 2018-04-19 by Martha Soezean
For the third time consecutively this week, after disruptions on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Singapore Mass Rapid Transport (SMRT) had a train service disruption on Thursday morning (19 Apr).
For the delay that happened again along the North South Line (NSL) and East West Line (EWL) like on Tuesday, SMRT again failed to give official information, contrary to so many tweets it posted yesterday on the delay between Tampines and Pasir Ris.
At 7:54am Lee Poh posted photos and comments on TATA SMRT, showing crowded Yishun MRT station:
Lee Poh wrote: Yishun station. Passenger keep come in. Accdicent waiting to happen. No announcement. Welcome gift for new CEO
Other passengers also posted their information on TATA SMRT on the EWL delay:
Angie Lim wrote: West bound train stuck at Eunos also. Finally moved after 10mins of stalling. No announcement or explanation at all. Well done smrt.
Syazana Liyana Lopez wrote: Currently on EWL, announced in train there’s a train fault ahead. East bound train. Announced in between Boon Lay and Lakeside Station. Est delay 5mins.
And Danny Leong, answering to Syazana Liyana Lopez’s post mentioned the delay on NSL:
Danny Leong wrote: NSL also the same at abt 8.15 to 8.30am from YT to JE. They kept mute.
Commuters also posted information and their complaints on Twitter:
Despite the queries for official information from passengers the SMRT kept silent on its social media platforms.
continue reading here :
https://www.theonlinecitizen.com/201...rsday-morning/
Very good service disruptions is still service disruption . Why SMRT ; LTA & Ministry of Transport and state media all keep quiet ? Shame on all of you . And you guys still want to increase fares ? How do you expect us to trust state media ? So you still want to vote for PAP ?
Was previous rail industry experience not one of the criteria in selecting new SMRT CEO?
April 20, 2018
SMRT’s confirmation that they have appointed yet another ex-Chief of Defence Force after a supposedly global search has garnered criticism from several quarters.
The new CEO, Neo Kian Hong, who will be replacing Desmond Kuek is the same man who succeeded Kuek as Chief of Defence Force while they were both in the Singapore Armed Forces. The pair even took on a similar career route, after retiring from the military, becoming permanent secretaries in Government ministries before joining SMRT.
Neo’s appointment as the incoming CEO of SMRT comes after months of speculation that Kuek will be stepping down after a nearly six year tenure at the corporation that was marked by controversy – from the deaths of two trainees who were struck by an oncoming train, to the unprecedented flooding of an MRT tunnel and a collision between two trains that injured over 30 individuals, besides countless train service breakdowns.
The appointment of Neo has caused some netizens to raise their eyebrows since both Neo and his outgoing CEO Kuek do not have prior rail industry experience.
continue reading here :
http://theindependent.sg/was-previou...-new-smrt-ceo/
I guess it will still be the same even with the new CEO .
SMRT defends Neo Kian Hong’s appointment, cites new chief’s ‘personal values’ and ’leadership qualities’
21 Apr 2018 04:57PM (Updated: 21 Apr 2018 05:00PM)
SINGAPORE: Transport operator SMRT on Saturday (Apr 21) defended the appointment of its next group chief executive Neo Kian Hong, citing the senior civil servant’s “personal values” and “leadership qualities” as key reasons for his appointment.
In a Straits Times forum letter on Saturday, SMRT’s vice-president for corporate communications Margaret Teo outlined the “key criteria and considerations” in selecting SMRT’s new chief.
These were: “Personal values, leadership qualities, relevant engineering knowledge, track record in operations and people management, and the ability to collaborate with multiple stakeholders.”
“An executive search firm was engaged to conduct a comprehensive global search based on the selection criteria,” wrote Ms Teo.
“The interview panel finally decided on Mr Neo Kian Hong as they were particularly impressed with his personal values and leadership qualities,” she wrote, adding that industry experience “was considered in the process”.
Ms Teo’s letter was in response to another Straits Times forum letter published on Thursday, in which its author Dr Michael Loh Toon Seng said that he was “disappointed” that SMRT had chosen “another chief executive” without “relevant experience”.
Mr Neo, 54, is currently the Permanent Secretary for Defence Development and also a former chief of defence force. He was also appointed a non-executive director of Singapore Technologies Engineering last June.
“With due respect, how did the relevant decision-makers end up appointing another SMRT chief with zero experience in the transport industry, zero experience working in the private sector and zero experience at the board level of any company, let alone a $1 billion company?” wrote Dr Loh.
In response, Ms Teo said that a “key attribute” the interview panel took into account was an understanding of local public transport needs.
“Of course, a key attribute considered in the final selection was the candidate’s understanding of the needs of Singapore’s commuters and public transport system,” she wrote.
The panel also recognised Mr Neo’s engineering qualifications, said Ms Teo.
“The panel recognised that Mr Neo has engineering qualifications and can be well supported by a team of committed and professional rail engineers,” she wrote.
“As the chairman of DSO National Laboratories and the Defence Science and Technology Agency, he has knowledge and good experience in building strong engineering, system acquisition and maintenance capabilities.”
Therefore SMRT decided to give the position “to a Singaporean with strong leadership qualities and the right heart to serve SMRT and, most importantly, our commuters”, she wrote, adding that Mr Neo also had the ability to keep morale high and motivate staff.
Mr Neo’s appointment will take effect on Aug 1 as current SMRT chief Desmond Kuek steps down.
Mr Kuek, who is also a former chief of defence force, will bow down from his position after five-and-a-half years at the helm of the beleaguered transport company.
Read more at
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news...ief-s-10161386
Spending so time just to defend your new CEO but you don’t even bother to communicate to your commuters when your service breakdown .
SMRT turns defensive; claims new CEO meets key criteria amid widespread criticism
April 21, 2018
SMRT defended the appointment of it’s next CEO Neo Kian Hong today, amid widespread criticism that the transport operator has hired yet another ex-General who does not have prior rail industry experience, that too after a global search.
In a letter published today, the corporation’s vice-president for corporate communications Margaret Teo listed the “key criteria and considerations” the organisation relied on in selecting its new chief executive. These requirements are: “Personal values, leadership qualities, relevant engineering knowledge, track record in operations and people management, and the ability to collaborate with multiple stakeholders.”
Teo revealed that a recruitment agency was engaged to help identify a group of candidates who match SMRT’s requirements: “An executive search firm was engaged to conduct a comprehensive global search based on the selection criteria. The interview panel finally decided on Mr Neo Kian Hong as they were particularly impressed with his personal values and leadership qualities.”
SMRT’s representative was responding to criticism over the appointment of 54-year-old Neo – particularly a letter written by Dr Michael Loh Toon Seng who had asked: “With due respect, how did the relevant decision-makers end up appointing another SMRT chief with zero experience in the transport industry, zero experience working in the private sector and zero experience at the board level of any company, let alone a $1 billion company?”
Replying that industry experience was also “considered in the process”, Teo added:
“Of course, a key attribute considered in the final selection was the candidate’s understanding of the needs of Singapore’s commuters and public transport system.
“The panel recognised that Mr Neo has engineering qualifications and can be well supported by a team of committed and professional rail engineers.
“As the chairman of DSO National Laboratories and the Defence Science and Technology Agency, he has knowledge and good experience in building strong engineering, system acquisition and maintenance capabilities.”
continue reading here :
Chief Operations Officer of SMRT Trains arrested for drink driving at Woodlands Checkpoint
April 21, 2018
SMRT’s chief operations officer for rail was arrested at Woodlands Checkpoint this morning for drink driving. One of the group’s top executives, 50-year-old Alvin Kek was just promoted to chief operations officer for rail from his former post as senior vice-president for rail operations two months ago, on 1 Feb 2018.
Kek, who has been working for SMRT since 2013, presently oversees rail operations along the North-South and East-West Lines, the Circle Line and the Bukit Panjang LRT network. Prior to his employment with SMRT, he was a colonel and a chief engineering officer with the Singapore Armed Forces, where he spent 14 years.
SMRT’s vice-president for corporate communications Margaret Teo told reporters: “This matter is currently under police investigation. It is not appropriate for the company to comment as it concerns a personal matter. We request that the privacy of our staff, especially under the circumstances of his recent bereavement, be respected.” It is believed that Kek’s father passed away recently.
continue reading here :
SMRT: Know when to go
Sense And Nonsense by Tan Bah Bah
April 22, 2018
At his press conference to announce his retirement from politics in 2015, one of the earlier Transport Ministers Raymond Lim made an interesting and somewhat revealing remark. He said Lee Kuan Yew once told him helming the transport portfolio was “a thankless job…but someone here has to do it”. Obviously, Lim fast discovered he was not that someone. He served as minister from 2006 to 2011.
His successor Lui Tuck Yew also found he was not cut out to be Transport Minister. He took over from Raymond Lim and left in 2015 and is currently Singapore’s ambassador to Japan. But not before he showed glimpses of how leaders in difficult appointments ought to try and get the public on their side, however tough the job. Communicate, communicate and communicate.
Those news pictures and spot coverage of Lui riding the MRT helped a lot to show angry commuters that the minister did make an effort to go to the ground as part of his duties, to check out the situation, taking the trains and talking to passengers. Commuters expected those running the system to feel their frustrations and understand the daily problem of coping with delays and overcrowdedness. The trains are still overcrowded, by the way.
Lui came across as sincere and willing to serve. When he resigned, few cheered.
Compare that with the era of ex-SMRT CEO Saw Phaik Hwa. I quote Christopher Tan who wrote in The Straits Times: “…complaints of packed trains and rising frequency of breakdowns started as Singapore’s population soared. SMRT tried to cope but the ride had turned massively. In 2011, after two serious breakdowns, Ms Saw left the SMRT.”
She was with the SMRT for nine years, nine years too long. I doubt she left voluntarily. The public outcry against the breakdowns and the way Singapore commuters were treated as sardines or cattle in the corporation’s obsession with profits – at the expense of basic human comfort – raised the question of why she was not sacked earlier.
continue reading here :
Shin Min Daily News: SMRT executive Alvin Kek wasn’t alone when arrested for drink driving
Focus turns on SMRT executive because SMRT is always hogging the limelight.
By Tan Xing Qi | 14 hours
You’d have probably read this piece of news over the weekend.
Mainstream media in Singapore broke the news that a SMRT executive was arrested for drink driving at the Woodlands Checkpoint on Friday, April 21, 2018.
The Straits Times got the scoop and wrote that it was SMRT Trains chief operations officer Alvin Kek who was arrested.
What is generally reported
And if you read the reports, these are the basic facts that you will take away.
• Kek is 50 years old.
• He was arrested around 5am at the Woodlands Checkpoint.
• He’s still grieving as his father passed away recently.
• He was a career soldier who spent 14 years in the Singapore Armed Forces. His last position was chief engineering officer.
• He was one of four former military men who was brought in by outgoing SMRT chief Desmond Kuek — he joined SMRT in Feruary 2013.
• Police investigations are ongoing.
Pretty straightforward news reports by the mainstream media so far.
continue reading here :
New MRT signalling system to be trialled on EWL for 5 Sundays from Apr 29
By Amir Yusof
24 Apr 2018 10:52AM (Updated: 24 Apr 2018 01:17PM)
INGAPORE: The new communications-based train control (CBTC) signalling system will be trialled for five consecutive Sundays from Apr 29 to May 27 on the entire East-West Line (EWL), the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and SMRT said in a joint media release on Tuesday (Apr 24).
The trial means that train services between Gul Circle and Joo Koon will resume, and existing shuttle bus services connecting the two stations will not operate on these dates.
The release added that the upcoming Sunday trials will not affect the EWL’s operating schedule.
“However, commuters may occasionally encounter instances of train and platform doors not opening or closing promptly, trains being held at stations longer than usual, or trains stopping momentarily between stations,” the release said.
LTA, SMRT and Thales - the French company that supplied the new signalling system for the EWL - will be deploying more staff and engineers on the ground to shorten the response time to any issues that may develop, and provide assistance to commuters.
Authorities are working to commence daily trials of the new CBTC signalling system on the EWL during the school holidays in late May, the release added.
LTA’s deputy chief executive for infrastructure and development, Mr Chua Chong Kheng stressed that the CBTC signalling system will now be trialled during normal service hours, instead of off-service hours, only after the team was “satisfied with its performance”.
“Trials conducted during service hours are important, as they give us an opportunity to expeditiously identify and resolve issues that may only surface when the system is operating under real-world operational loads,” said Mr Chua.
Moreover, SMRT’s trains’ chief engineer for signalling and communications maintenance Chung Swee Hiang said that its engineering team will work closely with the operations team to “quickly rectify” any new faults which were not encountered during off-service trials.
Read more at
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news...l-mrt-10169938
How long more are you guys going to use your commuters as guinea pigs ? So what happens if someone gets injured ? Who is going to be responsible ? SMRT ; LTA PM LEE ; AH Khaw ? The mrt will cost the PAP to lose more votes .
Service delays along NSL on Thursday morning
Published on 2018-04-26 by Martha Soezean
Passengers experienced delays in their commute along the North South Line this Thursday morning (26 Apr), again without an official statement from Singapore Mass Rapid Transport who operates the NSL.
Tweets from xlcliangx at 7:38am and 7:42am informed the cause of the tardiness was a train fault towards the South after Ang Mo Kio station:
Another delayed commuter, Richmond, posted a photo of the crowd on his tweet:
At 8:23am JonathanLee questioned SMRT why the train on NSL was not moving at Woodlands:
On another social media platform, TATA SMRT, Hanisah Mohamed Husin also informed that her train has stalled for quite a while at Sembawang:
continue reading here :
https://www.theonlinecitizen.com/201...rsday-morning/
Such world class mrt transport company . How many times do you think you can fool your commuters and voters ? The PAP will lose more votes because of your poor mrt service .
Incoming SMRT CEO Neo Kian Hong makes first public appearance since appointment
29 Apr 2018 04:52PM (Updated: 29 Apr 2018 05:00PM)
SINGAPORE: Incoming SMRT CEO Neo Kian Hong made his first public appearance since it was announced that he will be taking over from incumbent Desmond Kuek, visiting ground staff on the East-West line (EWL) on Sunday (Apr 29) morning.
In a Facebook post, SMRT said that Mr Neo, together with SMRT chairman and Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan, were “on the ground to support our staff” as the rail operator commenced the first full Sunday trial of the new Communications-Based Train Control system on the EWL during passenger service hours. Previous tests were done outside operating hours.
“During the visit, teams from both Land Transport Authority and SMRT also gathered first-hand feedback on ground operational matters,” SMRT added in the post.
Mr Neo will be taking over from Mr Kuek on Aug 1. He is currently the Permanent Secretary for Defence Development and a former chief of defence force.
He was also appointed a non-executive director of Singapore Technologies Engineering last June.
Read more at
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news...rance-10186748
This you make announcement but when mrt breakdown there is no announcement at all . Shame on SMRT and AH Khaw . How come Ng Chee Meng so fast abandon Ministry of Transport ?
Scare of this portfolio ?