Lack of engineering experts with deep, historical knowledge of MRT system?

I concur with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong that the right lessons should be drawn from the many woes that have relentlessly plagued SMRT (“MRT incidents have hurt public confidence: PM Lee”; Nov 19).

At least two lessons come to mind.

First, having an organisational culture that promotes pride and accountability in one’s work is necessary. One only needs to look to train operators in Japan, Hong Kong and Taipei as positive examples. In a large multilayered organisation like SMRT, a push for a positive culture must come from the top through action, not mere exhortations. It may be worth reflecting on the saying that “there are no bad soldiers, only bad officers”.

Second, most of the train disruptions are related to engineering issues. The train system is probably one of the most complex pieces of engineering in the country, bringing together electrical, software, mechanical and structural engineering, all working in a tight ecosystem.

At the same time, one also notes that our universities, the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) have been rated among the best in the world.

In the Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings 2018 by Subject: Engineering and Technology, NUS was the eighth best university in the world for engineering and technology, while NTU was 16th.

SMRT seems to be having problems sorting out its engineering troubles. Could this be due to a relative lack of engineers who have a deep and historical knowledge of the inner workings of our train system?

Perhaps, this provides an opportunity for engineering students to use the MRT system as a detailed case study in their curriculum.