Identify root causes of train disruptions, Transport Minister urges SMRT

SINGAPORE — Minister for Transport Lui Tuck Yew has urged transport operator SMRT to “quickly identify the root causes” of the recent spate of incidents on its rail network and asked for an update of its investigations by next week.

Mr Lui met with SMRT CEO Desmond Kuek and the senior management today (Jan 23) to convey his concern and disappointment over the disruptions that have occurred in recent weeks. Train services between Tampines and Tanah Merah stations were halted for over an hour yesterday evening due to a track fault — the sixth disruption to hit SMRT this month.

“I share the frustrations of train commuters affected by these incidents, and I empathise with them on the anxiety and uncertainty that they may experience,” he said. “I am also very concerned about SMRT’s service recovery efforts, particularly in reaching out to affected commuters promptly and keeping them updated during these incidents.”

At the meeting, Mr Lui was also briefed on the status of on-going investigations and preliminary internal findings by SMRT. He has urged SMRT “to determine whether these incidents arose from engineering or procedural shortcomings”.