SINGAPORE — Following the death of two SMRT employees who were hit by a train while on duty last month, safety protocols and train reliability issues dominated the Ministry of Transport Committee of Supply debate which started on MOnday (April 11), with one Member of Parliament (MP) questioning if the authorities would look into imposing financial penalties on the train operator.

Other issues raised by eight MPs include how bus drivers should be protected from abuse by commuters, and the measures taken to retain this group of workers.

Chua Chu Kang GRC MP Yee Chia Hsing, speaking on the SMRT deaths, said that it is “not acceptable” for anyone to sustain serious injury, especially fatal ones, for a system which runs on tracks.

“Such incidents not only undermine public confidence in our train operators… it would have deeply affected staff morale at SMRT and also affect its attractiveness as an employer for people looking for jobs,” Mr Yee said.

He urged the Transport Ministry to conduct a “comprehensive review” of how train operators here carry out their maintenance work, to prevent such incidents from recurring.

Mr Yee also urged the ministry to look into whether financial or other penalties should be imposed on SMRT and its management.

On the incident, Potong Pasir MP Sitoh Yih Pin said it provided “a stark reminder that the safety and well-being” of employees and commuters of the public transport system are paramount.

As the Transport Ministry embarks on a “comprehensive and ambitious plan” to provide Singaporeans with an effective public transport system, Mr Sitoh said the Government ought to be “mindful that necessary safety precautions and protocols are considered and implemented in tandem”.

“We must ensure that all safety protocols are followed and strictly adhered to,” he added. “If there is a lapse in any way or form, immediate corrective actions must be taken with utmost priority.”

Non-Constituency MP Dennis Tan expressed surprise at how such an accident could have been allowed to occur here. He also thought measures such as trains having to run on manual rather than automatic mode on sections of tracks where personnel are working — which the authorities announced in the wake of the accident — should have already been in place as a standard operating procedure.

“Before the accident, what were the obligations for LTA (the Land Transport Authority) to check on MRT operators’ observance of safety protocols for maintenance and operations?” Mr Tan asked.

He also asked whether new measures would be implemented to ensure the operators follow safety procedures from now on.

Last month, SMRT employees Muhammad Asyraf Ahmad Buhari, 24, and Nasrulhudin Najumudin, 26, were killed about 150m from Pasir Ris MRT station after they were hit by a train approaching the platform. They were part of a team deployed to investigate an alarm linked to a signalling equipment that went off.

On the issue of the public transport system’s reliability, Mr Sitoh questioned whether the Government is equipped to ensure reliability across the entire system while expanding its capacity at the same time.

Calling the regularity of train disruptions “disconcerting”, Mr Tan said commuters who use the trains daily can attest to the frequency of such disruptions, and Singaporeans should not have to get used to this.

He added that Singapore should be “greatly concerned” about the loss of productivity for workers and the economy, because of the man-hours lost due to the delays over the last few years.

On bus drivers, Tanjong Pagar GRC MP Melvin Yong spoke up about verbal and physical abuse against them and said these must stop. “Our bus captains are striving to serve the commuters well, they deserve some respect for their hard work and not abuse,” he added.

Mr Yong also asked that the Omnibus Driver Vocational Licence be made transferable. Right now, the licence is valid only for bus drivers hired by SBS Transit or SMRT Bus. By making it transferable, Mr Yong said it would help bus drivers to start work sooner at a new company without waiting to reapply for the licence, which can sometimes take up to an average of two months to process.

Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan is expected to address these issues on Tuesday in Parliament.