From the desk of
Raymond Anthony Fernando
15th November 2017
Transport
Minister Khaw Boon Wan has set the right direction in showing his appreciation
to MRT staff who work hard to run the rail network, but took to task the small
group who did not carry out proper maintenance work that resulted in the Oct 7 underground tunnel
flooding (“You
deserve our respect and gratitude', Khaw tells public transport workers”; November
14, 2017, MediaCorp’s Today Newspaper).
What
Mr Khaw pointed out is very true – that in
every organisation there will be a few black sheep, who, because of their poor
work attitudes spoils the reputation of the company. Rightly, so as opined by the
transport minister, these unproductive workers should be identified and
counselled to improve themselves or they would have to leave the organisation.
Public sectors
officers can help make the lives of our citizens better
Deputy
Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean who is also the minister in charge of the civil
service has recently reminded public sector officers to fine-tune policies so
that the public can be better served. This is timely given that many
Singaporeans are in dire need of support. I am glad that DPM is listening to
feedback, some of it which comes from me – be in through my press letters, my
emails or proposals on my blog. I will continue to provide constructive
feedback and useful suggestions as an active citizen so that Singapore can be
the BEST home to live in.
Everyone
from the community, whether they are from religious bodies, neighbours,
relatives, schoolmates, grassroots leaders and advisors have to do their part
to lend support and rally around the needy. Much more has to be done in this area.
More engineering
hours need to fix MRT woes
The Transport Minister has mentioned that
more engineering hours will be required to rectify the ageing rail assists
which has to be upgraded quickly (“Comparing Singapore's
newest and oldest MRT lines”; November, 14, 2017, MediaCorp’s Today
Newspaper). He is spot on!
With the school holidays commencing next
week, it will be timely to undertake the intensive maintenance work.
But safety must be a top priority
when transporting thousands of passengers every day. SMRT staff also need to
work in a safe environment.
A collective prayer for MOT Minister, injured passengers and for SMRT &
LTA staff to overcome problems
I have full of empathy for our
Transport Minister, the SMRT staff & the LTA staff. All work extremely hard
and it is a very demanding job to get the trains running on time and
efficiency. I was therefore deeply saddened to get news today that 23
passengers were injured and had to be sent to hospital after an MRT train
collided with another at Joo Koon station.
Let’s all join hands and say a
collective prayer for the injured passengers to recover quickly and also for
the SMRT to overcome any problems coming on-stream – and for all of them to
succeed in the maintenance work.
Shut down train services for 2 - 3 hours
Given that it has now become necessary to
undertake what appears to be somewhat of a critical maintenance, perhaps the train
operating hours can be cut to say 2 to 3 hours either on weekends or 3 times
during week days, during off peak periods when people traffic is relatively
lower. But we also have to take into account that given the rainy seasons in
November to January, maintenance work may be held back during heavy downpours.
As practically all Singapore and
foreigners are heavily dependent on the MRT trains for their transport needs,
reductions in train operating hours could be carried out at different MRT lines
and at different times.
To ensure that commuters will be
more accepting to the reduction of trains services which they are so accustomed
to, there is a need to comprise a little.
(a) As a temporary measure, it will
be necessary to run public buses parallel along the same routes that the trains
run.
(b) Where feasible, reduce the bus fares by half
or better still, provide free bus services during the periods when trains
operations are curtailed. This could be
a way to record MOT’s appreciation to passengers who will have to put up with
some disruptions to their daily travel patterns, and it’s a good way to rebuild
the image of the SMRT.
If we able to look at the big picture, we will be
able to see the long-term benefits when the thorough maintenance works can put
the trains back on track – again. So, let
us exercise more patience and allow the maintenance crew to sort things
out.
For I have every confidence that in time to come
with this intensified maintenance work and the expertise from the seconded
engineers from DSTA, we can look forward to less train breakdowns and
inconveniences. When this scenario takes place, we can certainly look forward
to a Happy New Year in January or February.
In closing, I hope everyone, including the
government can take a few steps back to ponder if we are moving too fast where
stress levels are becoming overwhelming. Where tempers flare up so easily – on
the roads, in our schools and even at nightclubs. A case in point was when a minor scuffle in a nightclub
at St James Power Station turned into a large-scale fist fight last Sunday
morning.
RAYMOND ANTHONY FERNANDO
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