LTA should inject new ideas, review regulation to improve rail situation

I refer to the report “Power trip causes rush-hour chaos, blackouts at 3 MRT lines, LRT network” (April 26).

The unprecedented disruption along four lines on April 25, followed the next day by a disruption of nearly 30 minutes affecting the south-bound service on the North-South Line, show that the reliability of train services is deteriorating.

My daughter was stuck at Kranji Station on April 26. In order not to be late for school, she transferred to a taxi, which cost her S$26 — and her train concession pass is S$25 a month.

Free bus services were available, but overcrowded. Such disruptions, which result in more costs and inconvenience, are thus unacceptable.

Following the recommendations of the Committee of Inquiry into the disruption of train services in December 2011, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) tightened the regulatory framework in January 2013 in four key areas to enhance rail reliability.

These were: Maintenance of rail assets; incident management; operating performance standards; and penalty framework. The enhanced framework has been in place for more than two years now but is not effective, as service reliability has not improved.

Since the December 2011 disruptions, SMRT has changed its top management, and there is also a new Transport Minister. The LTA should also consider a change by reviewing the regulatory framework and injecting new ideas into the oversight of rail operations.