S$5.4m SMRT fine: Money would be better used servicing trains

I refer to the letter “SMRT lacks technical competence” (Sept 25). It is not fair to called SMRT technically incapable. The train system is a big and complex one.

I take the MRT daily to work and back. I hear the purr of its engines, and I can tell which track or which carriage is new or well-maintained based on the sounds made.

On July 7, I boarded the train at City Hall. When the train passed Tanjong Pagar, the train heaved, stopped, heaved for a few seconds and stopped again. The air-conditioning went off, then the lights. The train was later taken to Outram Station, where we got off.

It took me two hours to reach Jurong East interchange. I had never seen so many people there, but the crowd was orderly. One or two lost their tempers, but overall the crowd was stoic. The bus captains and their supervisors did their best, telling the crowd about “free rides” and to “move in a bit more”.

I am no engineer, but I wonder if the incident was another sign that our train system is overloaded.

In any case, SMRT made the right decision that night to halt services. The decision to do so for the North-South and East-West lines was a tough one, given the likely public backlash and penalties. But it was the right one — safety first and no compromise. The next morning, I was greeted by a train that pulled smoothly out of the station.

Perhaps the S$5.4 million fine on SMRT for the disruption would be better used if it went towards servicing the trains.