Khaw Boon Wan
Singapore
“Motor vehicle dealerships and showrooms have been closed since the start of the circuit breaker. As COE bidding is done mostly by the motor vehicle dealers on behalf of prospective owners, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) suspended COE bidding for the months of April and May.”
“Though stressed by the financial pain, they press on with the immediate priority of fighting the virus and supporting essential services. Post-pandemic, we will see how public transport evolves. Will demand for public transport services simply return to the pre-pandemic level?”
“Under our rail financing framework, the Government fully pays for the cost of building new rail lines. In other words, we do not recover the cost of building the Cross Island Line (CRL) from commuters through fares. The CRL project is being implemented and the final costs will depend on tender bids.”
“There are around 5,000 private bus operators with a combined fleet of 13,500 private buses. As we do not track the number of private bus trips and passengers, we do not have data on their carbon emissions.”
“There are nursing rooms at 50% of our bus interchanges. We will provide nursing rooms at all new bus interchanges and integrated transport hubs. For the MRT network, we will provide nursing rooms at all new interchange stations. We will also explore providing such facilities when MRT stations undergo upgrading.”
“Over the last three years, Singapore carriers have reported a total of 20 incidents of food allergies on board their flights. None required the use of epinephrine or emergency flight diversions.”
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“Then and now – then my hair was white, now my hair is black. Chemistry helps! [Laughter.] It is not my style to over-promise because, in politics, we all know this mantra: under-promise, over-deliver. But, when I look at the situation at that time, and having interviewed the various stakeholders, I decided that, no, this is an occasion to break the rule and to set a stretch target in order to rally the whole troop – the tens and thousands of workers out there – towards a common goal and get them inspired. That is why I opted for this figure. It was not a million initially, in fact. I started off with 800,000. That was set after looking at the global data of the other metros. I thought 800,000 was something doable, during this term of Government. As we go along, we found that, hey, we actually can push further. So, I rounded it up to a million. But, as I have articulated just now, having reached the million, the more important thing now is to have the discipline to ensure that the financial adjustments are made in time and, at the operational level, do not be complacent, because you can just walk backwards very easily. Especially for the old lines, the North-South and East-West Lines, after you have renewed the core asset group, even if you do very little, they may be able to deliver a very reliable service because that is how engineering systems work. They talk about this bathtub curve. It is very critical that LTA and the operators and the leadership are fully aware of this. It does not mean that once you have achieved some level of reliability, it will always be there; you can walk backwards very quickly. It may not be immediate, but it will show up in a few years' time, as we experienced not too long ago.”
“I am an engineer. I am formula-driven. So, the more important thing is discipline. The fares have to be adjusted through a formula, which is what we all agreed, and having debated, discussed and settled on the formula, and the formula will last for a period, in our case, five years. I think much more important is to achieve that discipline. Each time the adjustment comes out, the calculation, what is the output, stick to it. That, I think is much more important. If you do that and if you are able to do that for four more years, including trying to see how this enhanced maintenance, which has given us today's outcome, can be better funded through additional fares, then I think we would be, in the short term, in a much more comfortable position than what we are today. Should we drive towards zero? We must never give up on this hope, but if it is not possible in the medium term, it does not matter. The key point is we must not allow the operating subsidy percentage to continue to rise. If from 0%, it now deteriorates to 30% and continues to deteriorate, I think that would be a bad outcome. But if we can reverse it, which I think we can, if we are able to stick to the formula plus taking a look at how the enhanced resources that we have put in can be recovered, then I think, we will be home.”
“At my level, I look at the whole network. But yes, I also look at individual lines. After all, there are only five lines. So, it is not too difficult to track them. Out of five lines, three are already above a million, and the other two, which include the East-West Line, are not too far behind. East-West Line continues to make progress. The reason, I did explain a few days ago, between North-South Line and East-West Line, both are almost 30 years old and we are changing out some of the core asset items. We started this process with the North-South Line, so the North-South Line benefited from this earlier renewal process. The North-South Line now is 1.4 million MKBF. The East-West Line will eventually catch up and exceed one million.”
“Sir, with the change of leadership of SMRT, which has been leading it in the last three years, the team that I have worked together, both aboveground and underground. I know them well. It is a very good team of people. Sometimes, some attrition is useful.”
“There was a recent report, not quite by all media, but a Straits Times report. It was only in The Straits Times. Probably one particular journalist who reported that there was a major upcoming resignation by the Head of Trains in SMRT. I read it and I immediately texted the Chairman of SMRT. He was in the air then. As soon as he landed at the airport, he replied to me that "it is fake news". The Straits Times gave an apology, but in tiny font size.”
“But I will leave it to PTC to elaborate their case. I would urge Members to fully support them. But at the same time, bear in mind that this additional maintenance expenditure, which has to be continuously incurred, which allows us to achieve this current level of reliability, has to be paid for. At the end of the day, let us do not forget, as a total system, who pays for the system. It is people like you and me, taxpayers as well as commuters. The Istana does not have a printing press of money. The money has to come from either taxpayers or commuters. And we just have to find a balance – what is an appropriate level.”
“As I have said, this was before my time when there was a big public debate, resulting in the White Paper on public transport. The Government, and I suppose this House, reached a certain long-term view about how one should fund public transport, and it was as what I had articulated in my reply just now. The intention was that the Government will pay for the infrastructure, that means, the tracks, the viaducts, the underground tunnels, plus the first set of operating assets, which include the trains. Subsequent train operations, which include future replacement of the operating assets, have to be paid for from the fare revenue plus non-fare revenues, which include advertising. And if we achieve that, then the operating subsidy would have been zero. But now, it is more like more than 30%. So, we had a certain long-term view about what the operating subsidy should be; it should be zero. But instead, there is a substantial gap. Can we close it overnight? I think that is not practical. So, my more limited objective in the medium term is to be able to cover the recent level of intensified maintenance, which has cost the operators a lot of money but has delivered the current level of reliability, which seems quite satisfactory. We should try to recover that. How? At what pace? I think PTC will take that into account. But as I said at the reply, we have just adjusted the formula last year, and we have done one round, four more rounds to go. I think let us keep to the formula. Meanwhile, the operators have to be helped. And that is why the Government is footing the bill through this temporary enhanced maintenance grant. But the key point is, over the next four years, let us have the discipline to implement fully the fare formula adjustments which are needed.”
“Sir, we monitor all delays. We track all delays, we log all delays and we analyse all delays, whether it is one minute, 30 seconds, five minutes or 10 minutes. That is how we are able to churn out the data. Secondly, service quality and how do you track it. One major service quality is MKBF – frequency of delays – which is what we are monitoring. Another is "crowdedness" of train. That is why we included the Network Capacity Factor, in the Fare Formula, as a proxy for crowdedness.”
“My doctors are happy, I am happy, my family is happy, but it does not mean I can stop the medication. The moment I stop the medication, I know what will happen. Likewise, with the railways.”
“Sir, I fully support the sentiment that the Member had just expressed. As an engineer, we know that after one million MKBF, we can always try for two million, three million, four million. But it all comes at a cost. The question is, are commuters prepared to pay at such a high level of reliability? It is a little bit like the quality control chart which we studied in engineering. We know that once you have hit a certain sweet spot, as the Member puts it, you can still achieve higher quality control but the incremental cost required is extremely high. In fact, the curve is not like that of plateauing; the curve is exponential. And the same thing with rail reliability, at one million MKBF which is what we have targeted. We had surveyed the performance of metros around the world and only a handful consistently achieved a million or crossed a million. And a million, in fact, is a very good, reliable level of service. It does not mean no more delays of more than five minutes, but it means that the frequency of occurrence is tolerable. It will not be often that you encounter such delays. And, if you want to achieve an even higher level of reliability, then one must be prepared to pay for more. My own sense is that if we can consistently maintain this one million MKBF, that should be good enough. But if for various reasons, future Singapore commuters are demanding an even higher level and are prepared to pay for that greater level of reliability, well, for that, we leave it to the next Transport Minister. But do not forget one thing, that having crossed a million, it does not mean it will always be up there. I am a chronic heart disease patient, and I know that I have to take the medication for life. I have just done my blood test. Almost perfect picture.”
“The details are being worked out between the Ministry of Transport (MOT) and the Ministry of Finance. Mr Speaker, we have stabilised our MRT service. But we have to sustain these efforts over the long term in order to prevent problems from gradually building up again. This requires discipline: on the operating side to ensure that LTA and the operators invest in upgrades and preventive maintenance of the rail system long before problems become apparent and serious and, on the commuter side, to implement regular fare adjustments to keep the rail system financially viable and Government subsidies under control, so that we can sustain a high quality and affordable public transport network. We have entrusted the important task of fare review to the PTC and they will be fair to commuters, taxpayers and operators. I seek the Members’ full support for the PTC as and when they make recommendations on transport fare adjustments.”
“For new MRT lines like the Jurong Region Line, LTA is actively engaging the rail operators upstream on the design of the system, to ensure that it is designed and built with efficient downstream operations and maintenance in mind. The rail operators are also pooling their engineering and maintenance capabilities and collaborating with ST Engineering to cut out duplication and raise productivity. All these upstream interventions are necessary, but they will not fully offset the higher costs of operating and maintaining a highly reliable rail network. Members may ask: why did fares fall below operating cost? PTC’s fare formula is supposed to keep fares in line with macroeconomic cost factors, such as inflation, wages, fuel costs and increases in the network capacity, with a productivity extraction. But until recently, the PTC fare adjustments were not fully implemented. If we had strictly followed PTC’s fare formula, the operators would have been better able to cover the costs of the intensified maintenance. As it is, the additional costs have been partly covered by increased Government subsidy and partly absorbed by the operators who have been incurring substantial losses. So, this is clearly not sustainable. PTC’s current fare formula is valid until 2023. We will continue to operate under this formula. But we must have the discipline to implement the formula fully, as we adjust fares over the next four years. In due course, the PTC will need to review the fare adjustment mechanism to reflect the increased operating cost to support the intensified maintenance and the additional operating subsidies from the Government to the MRT system. Meanwhile, the Government will provide the operators with a temporary enhanced maintenance grant.”
“In the latest reported financial year, Singapore MRT (SMRT) Trains incurred a loss of $86 million. Singapore Bus Services (SBS) Transit’s train division also lost tens of millions of dollars. Second, the Government has spent around $1.9 billion to take over ownership of all rail operating assets. While the $1.9 billion is once-off, the Government is now also responsible for the proper and timely renewal of these assets, and this is a huge and continuing financial liability. Under the rail financing framework, the Government pays for the full upfront cost of civil infrastructure and the first set of operating assets. The subsequent operations and maintenance of operating assets are supposed to be fully paid for by the operators, through the collection of fares and non-fare revenues, such as advertising. The depreciation cost of operating assets is supposed to be largely recovered by the Government through licence charges. But in practice, as fares have been inadequate to cover the cost of operations, Government subsidies have exceeded their intended scope of funding the civil infrastructure and the first set of operating assets. With intensified maintenance to reach the current level of reliability, the Government operating subsidies have increased further. Over the next five years, the Government expects to spend $4.5 billion on operating subsidies. So, this is nearly $1 billion a year. This will be on top of the Government spending $25 billion on civil infrastructure, to build and equip new lines. LTA and the rail operators are working closely to keep costs under control. We are redesigning our systems and processes. For example, LTA is using its asset renewal programme to install new technologies, such as condition monitoring sensors.”
“Sir, our Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) service has now stabilised. Our intense efforts to improve rail reliability are producing results. Reliability measured by Mean Kilometres (km) Between Failure (MKBF) shows significant and sustained improvement. In the 12 months ending in June 2019, the MRT network achieved an MKBF of more than 950,000 train-km – almost one million train-km. This is a seven-fold improvement over 2015. Commuters have felt the difference. Recent surveys by the Public Transport Council (PTC) show that commuters’ perceptions of MRT services have improved. Our MRT is now on par with other world-class systems like the Taipei Metro and Hong Kong Mass Transit Railway (MTR). These improvements are the result of a concerted multi-year effort. It required rigorous operations and maintenance, disciplined investment and countless personal sacrifices by thousands of public transport workers who have worked day and night to improve the network. We should give them our thanks. I would also like to thank commuters for their patience and understanding. In particular, for the Early Closures and Late Openings (ECLOs), which have given the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the rail operators precious engineering hours to step up maintenance and renewal as our MRT lines age. Our efforts to improve rail reliability have, however, come at substantial expense to both the operators and the Government. First, the rail operators have ramped up their operations and maintenance to support the much higher level of reliability. Between 2016 and 2017, the total cost of running the rail network has increased by around $270 million. As the fares paid by commuters do not cover operating costs, the rail companies are operating at a loss.”
“Singapore has asked for and is awaiting information from Malaysia on its plans to develop a ship-to-ship transfer hub in the Straits of Johor, including on its precise location. The project must not encroach into Singapore's Territorial Waters. The project appears to be about the storage and trading of petroleum products, including fuel oil; it does not seem to be about container port operations. But we will need to assess the project's implications on safety of navigation in the area and its potential transboundary environmental impact. We can only have a better assessment after Malaysia has provided the relevant information.”
“Traffic disruptions can be caused by accidents, road defects or fallen trees. For accidents, the Traffic Police will respond as quickly as possible to the accident scene. The Singapore Civil Defence Force may also be activated if there are injuries. For road defects that affect traffic safety, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will carry out rectification works on an urgent basis. For fallen trees, the National Parks Board will deploy its Rapid Response Team as soon as possible. Traffic recovery procedures and response times differ depending on the nature of the incidents. Where there is significant traffic impact, officers will be deployed on the ground to manage the situation. LTA also notifies the public on the incident location and traffic situation via radio and online channels so that they avoid the affected areas.”
“As of February 2019, there are about 41,000 and 99,900 Private Hire Car Driver's Vocational Licence (PDVL) holders and Taxi Driver's Vocational Licence (TDVL) holders respectively. The age breakdown is shown in the table below.”
“Road speed limits are set to ensure that motorists can travel safely and efficiently. When setting the speed limit of roads, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) generally considers factors, such as road geometry and the level of pedestrian activities. Locations with higher pedestrian activities, for example, School Zones and Silver Zones, have reduced speed limits of 40 kilometres (km) per hour. Rather than road speed limits, we seek to develop off-road infrastructure to create a conducive environment for all active mobility users. To enhance active mobility infrastructure, LTA will roll out more dedicated cycling paths and build a cycling network in every Housing and Development Board town by 2030. This means a total of 700 km of cycling paths across the island. Apart from infrastructure, user behaviour is critical for ensuring safety. We urge all users to play their part by exercising caution and consideration when using our roads and paths.”
“Arising from the Joo Koon incident, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) invited Thales to set up a CBTC simulation laboratory in Singapore, the first of its kind in Asia, and the largest by Thales in the world. This has allowed LTA and Singapore MRT to perform additional tests to finetune the CBTC signalling system's software and hardware before it is implemented on our rail lines. It has also contributed to the NSEWL's vast improvement in rail reliability.”
“Ensuring the safety of rail operations is our top priority. The recent train collision on the Tsuen Wan line in Hong Kong is a reminder that we must always be vigilant every step of the way, from robust system design, to rigorous testing and commissioning, and responsible operations and maintenance. The Thales SelTrac Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) signalling system is an established product and has been adapted for use on 86 metros across 40 different countries. Hong Kong's Tsuen Wan line and Singapore's North-South and East-West Lines (NSEWL) also use the system. Each system is, however, custom-built to the metro's unique architecture and specifications, with software logic tailored for the local needs and conditions. The Hong Kong authorities are investigating the 18 March 2019 train collision. This may take a few months. We will study the investigation report when it is available. There were media articles linking the incident to a dual backup system which was uniquely designed for the Tsuen Wan line's signalling system. None of our Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) or Light Rail Transit lines uses such a system. Regardless, we should avoid unnecessary speculation into the root causes of the incident until the formal investigation report is available. The Joo Koon incident in late 2017 was due to complications from concurrently operating the NSEWL's legacy and new CBTC signalling systems on the same line. We understand that this was not the case for the collision on the Tsuen Wan line in Hong Kong. The NSEWL now operates entirely on the CBTC signalling system, so a similar incident to Joo Koon will not recur.”
“Seletar Airport has been operating as a visual airport for decades. This means that pilots flying to and from Seletar Airport need to be able to clearly sight the runway and their operating environment when landing and taking off. This also means that during bad weather, flights may have to be delayed or diverted to other airports. This arrangement has worked well for Seletar Airport as it is a rather small airport. In 2017, when arrangements were being planned to shift Firefly's flights to Seletar, Firefly asked the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) to install at Seletar Airport an Instrument Landing System (ILS) and its associated flight procedures. Firefly had informed CAAS that an ILS was a requirement by its regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia (CAAM). CAAS agreed to the request as the ILS would also have enabled all other pilots to operate at Seletar in all weather conditions. While ILS is a commonly used instrument approach, it is not the only one. CAAS and CAAM are working on an alternative, using GPS-based instrument approach procedures. Meanwhile, flights to and from Seletar Airport are using visual procedures as in the past.”
“Given our land constraints, cyclists have to share our public road lanes with other road users. We have, therefore, put in place rules to ensure that cyclists interact safely with other road users. This includes requiring them to keep to the left side of the roads where traffic tends to travel at lower speeds and could include bus lanes. To reduce obstruction to bus passage, cyclists are required to cycle in a single file during bus lane operating hours. We have also been equipping public buses with blind-spot mirrors and new buses with collision warning systems, which help bus captains be more aware of the cyclists around them. Ultimately, road safety is a shared responsibility. Everyone has a part to play by being responsible and keeping a look out for one another.”
“The Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the public transport operators had previously studied having countdown timers for Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) platforms. They concluded that such a feature could create unnecessary anxiety amongst commuters and compromise safety, especially if one's attention is fixated on the timer and not the surroundings. Instead, our MRT platforms are equipped with audio and visual cues to alert commuters of closing doors. Commuters are familiar with the train chimes and flashing lights. These are features consistently applied to all our MRT lines and most systems in other cities.”
“The Land Transport Authority (LTA) provides vehicle recovery services on expressways and tunnels. Vehicle breakdowns along other roads are attended to by private vehicle recovery services; they are not tracked by LTA. Between 2013 and 2018, the number of vehicle breakdowns per month on tunnels and expressways ranged between 2,000 and 2,500. Cars have consistently accounted for the largest proportion of these breakdowns of about 45% last year. LTA's vehicle recovery services are placed on stand-by near expressways and tunnels, to ensure timely responses. Upon activation, LTA will generally arrive within eight minutes and 15 minutes for tunnels and expressways respectively and clear the vehicles within 10 minutes after arrival. Motorists can play their part by moving their broken down vehicles to the road shoulder where possible. They should also regularly service their vehicles to minimise such occurrences.”
“The BlueSG electric car-sharing programme is jointly supported by the Land Transport Authority and the Economic Development Board. Under this programme, BlueSG has committed to roll out a total of 500 charging stations equipped with 2,000 charging points nationwide by end-2020. To date, BlueSG has installed 178 charging stations and 703 charging points.”
“The Productivity Extraction factor in the fare formula is designed to allow the productivity gains of the public transport operators (PTOs) to be shared with commuters through lower fare adjustments. Productivity gains are measured in terms of the change in value-add per employee, and takes into consideration the PTOs' operating profits, including the profits from their retail operations.”
“The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) evaluates an aircraft type for operation to Singapore based on an established framework that is in accordance with international regulations and processes. It includes assessments of the aircraft design, the maturity of the technologies used, and the resolution of all known safety issues with the aircraft. The evaluation is carried out by a multidisciplinary team of CAAS officers, including engineers and officers with pilot qualifications. After an aircraft is approved for operation to Singapore, CAAS continues to review the reliability and airworthiness of in-service aircraft through regular inspections, monitoring of technical defects and incidents, and review of safety information provided by aircraft manufacturers, airline operators and counterpart regulatory authorities. CAAS will ground an aircraft type if it determines that the continued operation of the aircraft presents a safety risk.”
“The replacement of bus shelter benches is an ongoing effort. Bus shelter benches are generally replaced when bus shelters are upgraded to better serve commuter needs, when bus shelters need to be relocated or when the benches are no longer in working condition. Over the past five years, around 500 benches were replaced at a cost of around $500 to $1,500 per bench, excluding installation costs. The benches at about 2,300 bus shelters which are at least 15 years old are progressively being replaced by 2020. The new benches come with wider seats and arm rests and are expected to last at least 20 years.”
“If the responsible party is convicted for causing hurt by a rash or negligent act under the Penal Code, the Court may order compensation to be paid to the victim. The Active Mobility Advisory Panel and LTA strongly encourage all active mobility device users to purchase third-party liability insurance to protect themselves against third-party claims in the event of an accident. This will also facilitate claims for treatment costs by victims. LTA has announced that motorised PMD-sharing licensees would be required to procure and maintain third-party liability insurance. LTA is also working with companies, such as food delivery companies, on the purchase of third-party insurance for their delivery riders.”
“In 2017 and 2018, there were 228 reported accidents involving personal mobility devices (PMDs) on public paths. Of these accidents, there were 196 cases with reported injuries, out of which one was a fatal accident involving a PMD rider who self-skidded and subsequently succumbed to his injuries. Thirty-two other reported cases involved major injuries, such as concussions or fractures. We do not have information on the cases where victims are unable to claim their treatment costs from the responsible party and are left in debt. To prevent accidents, deter reckless behaviour and improve active mobility safety, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has implemented a registration regime for motorised PMDs and lowered the speed limits on footpaths. LTA complements these regulations with strict enforcement to ensure compliance. Individuals caught riding recklessly can be liable upon conviction to a fine of up to $5,000 and/or jail up to six months. Those involved in accidents can also be charged for causing hurt or grievous hurt through a rash or negligent act and be liable for fines up to $10,000 and jail terms of up to four years. Several PMD riders have been charged in Court with custodial sentences meted out. LTA also conducts extensive publicity and educational efforts to improve awareness and understanding of the regulations and to develop a safe riding culture. Victims injured in active mobility accidents may obtain compensation from the responsible party through private settlement, undertaking mediation with the Singapore Mediation Centre or Law Society of Singapore, or filing a civil suit in the State Courts.”
“To improve public safety and reduce the risk of fire incidents for power-assisted bicycles (PABs) and personal mobility devices (PMDs), the Land Transport Authority (LTA) is progressively introducing new standards to improve the fire and electrical safety of these devices. In 2016, we introduced a requirement that only PABs that are compliant with the EN15194 standard can be approved for use and sold in Singapore. From 1 July 2019 onwards, only UL2272-certified motorised PMDs can be sold in Singapore for use on public paths. From 1 January 2021 onwards, all motorised PMDs used on public paths will be required to be certified to the UL2272 standard. In 2018, there were 22 PAB-related fires and 52 PMD-related fires. Based on information available to the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and LTA, none of the PABs or PMDs involved in the fires are known to be certified to the EN15194 or UL2272 standards respectively. Even before the implementation of the UL2272 standard by 2021, we strongly encourage PMD owners to switch to UL2272-certified devices in order to minimise the risk of fire incidents. When purchasing devices, consumers are advised to buy from reputable sources and look out for fire safety standards. Consumers should also avoid overcharging batteries, modifying their devices or tampering with the electrical components of their devices. We have included such advisory information in the Safe Riding Programme curriculum.”
“It is also not clear whether buses should follow some model whereas MRT follows the other. My preliminary thinking is that it depends on the state of maturity of a particular bus package, or a particular MRT line. When the line has reached steady state, with a predictable volume of commuter traffic, and if the market is competitive, then I think a Net Cost Model is suitable. But when it is still in transition, and especially if the market is not naturally competitive, then I think a Gross Cost Model may be more relevant. But this is preliminary thinking. Again, because buses and rails are different, buses, if you call an international tender, there will be many bids. An MRT line actually is a local monopoly. Inevitably, the Government has to come in to regulate the operator, and to make sure that there is no profiteering but, at the same time, be reasonable to the operator, because nobody will set up a company to bleed every year; they are not charities. Our job is to make sure that they do not "gold-plate" the engineering department, in other words, overstate specifications, overdo things, pushing up costs and that they do not profiteer.”
“Back to this Thomson Line, for the first concession period of nine years, at Year 9, we are talking about fares – assuming today's fares and adjusted through the fare formula – will be less than 50%, less than half of the operating costs of Thomson Line at Year 9. This implies a very significant subsidy on the part of the Government. Do not forget, over the next 10-year period, it is not just Thomson Line, there is Jurong Region line and there is Cross Island line. Again, those are long lines and, therefore, we will have no choice but to adopt the Financing Model based on a Gross Cost Model; otherwise, no operators will take on this tender. The PTC formula, as noted by the Member, has not taken into account the substantial increase in operating cost in order to fix the reliability problem. But we have to be fair to operators and the other stakeholders. That is why we need wise men and women in the PTC. Their job is to try to be fair and reasonable to operators as well as commuters. What we have learnt in the last three years is that reliability is an engineering problem; it can be fixed but you need money, you need resources and you need time. Having pumped in the money, the second order question is: how do you share the burden? And, really, you are talking about sharing between taxpayers through Government subsidy, or commuters through some fare adjustments. I look to the PTC to think through this problem. I am also spending some time thinking about it. Now that I have a little bit more time to breathe, I will be focusing on this particular problem on the optimal model of financing MRT as well as buses. It is not clear whether a Gross Cost Model is superior to a Net Cost Model. Each has its pros and cons.”
“I thank the Member for his thoughtful comments. These are serious comments and obviously he has put a lot of thought and some research into this subject. I have spent now more than three years in this difficult portfolio. I have exercised a lot of my time and energy on this one. Fortunately, after three years of hard work, we are beginning to see some results. The MKBF data that were released last week are extremely encouraging. But do not forget, we are not yet out of the woods because, as I repeated in this House three years ago when I took on this job, the problem can be fixed, but it is a multi-year project. It will take several years and multi billion dollars because you have to spend a lot of money. It is multi-year because the North-South, East-West Lines are old lines, and significant assets have to be renewed and replaced; and until they are completely renewed and replaced, well, you know, old trains are like old bodies. There are problems. At 67, my flu hit me hard in the last couple of months. When I was younger, three weeks, I am well, without any medication. This time took me more than two months. After the virus is cleared, it led to secondary cough, which I am still suffering. That is the worst thing because coughing is uncontrollable and it usually happens at night and, therefore, I do not get a good sleep. And, as you know, to get well, you need sleep. Sorry, for sharing with you my personal experience. But looking after the train is the same as looking after the body. If you neglect your train, you will suffer for it. When the trains are new, it does not matter because you do not experience the ill results of the negligence. But for old trains, it will show up.”
“Achieving such a goal requires a regular investment in substantial expenditures to support intensive maintenance. We will strike the right balance between what should be borne by taxpayers through direct Government funding, by commuters through fares, and by operators. We are, however, mindful that any decision to increase the level of Government funding for rail operations has to be weighed against competing needs, such as healthcare and security.”
“In the financial year ended 31 March 2018, SMRT Trains reported a loss of $86 million, against an operating cost of $838 million and commuters' fare income of $608 million. So, roughly, the losses were about 10% of the operator's cost, and commuters' fare make up about 73% of the operator's cost. In another example, SBST's Downtown Line also incurred a loss of more than $47 million for the financial year ended 31 December 2017, against an operating cost of $132 million and commuters' fare income of $69 million. So, here, you see a new line – Downtown Line (DTL). The loss was about 36% of operator's cost and commuter's fare income just made up about 52% of the operator's cost. Yesterday, SBST published their latest financial results. We are combing through the results, but I believe Downtown Line continues to be in pretty bad shape. In the case of TEL, the Government recognises that the ridership in the initial years will be uncertain as the line will be opening in multiple stages over six years. This is a very long line, and, by necessity, we will be opening it stage by stage and you can imagine the long lead time taken to build up traffic. But the fixed overhead cost is sunk and the operator has to shoulder that. And that is why the Government decided to bear the revenue risk by subjecting TEL to an arrangement similar to public buses, for its first concession period of nine years. Under this model, the Government collects fare revenue and pays the operator, SMRT, a service fee for O&M. This is unlike the arrangement for all the other railway lines. Sir, rail reliability is a national priority. We will continue to work towards improving rail reliability, making our rail network among the most reliable in the world.”
“Sir, the Government has invested and subsidised heavily to ensure that our rail network is reliable, convenient and affordable. First, the Government fully bears the upfront cost of building new rail lines. For instance, over the next five years, the Government will be spending about $25 billion to expand our Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) network. The major railway lines that are being constructed during this period are the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL), Jurong Region Line and the Cross Island Line. When completed, there will be a total of eight MRT lines, and eight in 10 households will live within a 10-minute walk from a train station. Second, the Government will be spending around $4.5 billion over the next five years to build up, replace and upgrade rail operating assets on the rail network, including trains, signaling systems and power supply systems. Under the current financing model, the operating and maintenance costs (O&M) are fully borne by the rail operators, Singapore MRT (SMRT) Trains and Singapore Bus Services Transit (SBST). The rail operators have intensified their O&M regimes over the past few years in order to raise reliability. Coupled with the Land Transport Authority's (LTA's) asset renewal, rail MRT reliability has improved considerably. Last year, the MRT network achieved a Mean Kilometres Between Failure (MKBF) of 690,000 train-kilometres (km). This is a significant improvement of over three times from 2017, when the network MKBF was at 181,000 train-km. We expect further improvement this year. These efforts at raising rail reliability are costly. They have taken a financial toll on the rail operators.”
“Several agencies perform the roles and functions in Singapore Territorial Waters mentioned by the Member, often in close coordination with one another. The agencies carry out their enforcement and operational duties in our waters as part of their overall statutory responsibilities. It is not possible to assign a specific dollar amount to the work carried out only in the waters off Tuas South.”
“To encourage off-peak travel, rail commuters enjoy a discount of up to 50 cents if they tap in before 7.45 am under the Differential Fares Scheme. Since the discount was introduced in December 2017, the number of commuters travelling during the morning pre-peak period has increased by 12%. This is significantly higher than the ridership growth of 2%. More than 70% of seniors today travel during off-peak hours. Some of those who travel during the peak period are likely to do so for work. We will continue to monitor the situation before deciding on further incentives for off-peak travel.”
“The Mean Kilometres Between Failure (MKBF) for the Mass Rapid Transit network increased from 181,000 train-kilometres (km) in 2017 to 690,000 train-km in 2018. The 2018 MKBF performance for each of the rail lines is as shown in the Table below.”
“The Land Transport Authority (LTA) monitors vehicular traffic on our roads on an ongoing basis. Over the past few years, congestion levels have remained stable. LTA does not track vehicular traffic arising specifically from e-commerce and food deliveries. We have no plans to require such data from businesses so as not to impose additional regulatory burden on them.”
“The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has been actively promoting the take-up of third-party liability insurance. First, LTA and the Active Mobility Advisory Panel have engaged the insurance industry and posted information on the types of third-party liability insurance products available in the market today on LTA's website www.onemotoring.com.sg/escooter. Second, LTA has reached out to e-scooter owners who have registered their devices under the registration regime which commenced on 2 January 2019 to encourage them to purchase third-party liability insurance. LTA has also engaged employers of large groups of active mobility users, such as food delivery companies, to encourage them to provide insurance coverage. We are currently in the midst of the first licence application cycle for motorised personal mobility device (PMD)-sharing services. Operators that are awarded licences to operate will be required to procure and maintain third-party liability insurance.”
“For cars and motorcycles, the validity period for renewal Certificates of Entitlement (COEs) is aligned with new COEs, to ensure that owners of new and renewed vehicles pay the same COE for owning vehicles in the same category. As an exception, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) provides a five-year renewal option as a special concession to vehicle owners who would like to renew their COEs but feel that their vehicles may not last beyond another five years. This allows them to pay a smaller COE premium at the point of renewal. Vehicle owners are informed that the condition for the five-year renewal is that these vehicles must be deregistered at the end of five years, and no further renewals will be allowed. This is to prevent speculative activities where owners renew for shorter periods in the hope that COE prices will be lower in five years' time.”
“When airlines encounter aircraft technical issues or face inclement weather, they would have to delay their flights to resolve the issues safely and comprehensively. In Singapore, the interests of air passengers affected by flight delays are safeguarded under a national consumer protection framework. The responsibilities of airlines to their travelers in the event of flight delays are stated in their Conditions of Carriage. Consumers are advised to read and understand their rights and the airline's obligations before making any purchase. If consumers feel that airlines have not fulfilled their responsibilities on service recovery and compensation, they can take up the matter with the airlines. They can also seek assistance from the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) or lodge a claim with the Small Claims Tribunal. In Singapore's competitive air transport market, airlines have an interest to promptly and effectively respond to customers' needs and expectations on service quality. The Ministry of Transport will continue to review the adequacy of consumer protection policies in the air transport market.”
“Between 2016 and 2018, the Traffic Police recorded an average of nine accidents per year at Newton Circus and its adjoining lanes. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is conducting works to further improve road safety in the area. These include new crossing facilities to ensure pedestrian safety, U-turn facilities at approaching roads to reduce the number of vehicles using the roundabout, and additional traffic signals so that vehicles entering the roundabout will have their own traffic phase. LTA and the Traffic Police will continue to monitor the situation at Newton Circus. We urge all users to play their part by exercising caution and consideration when using our roads.”
“The Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) is scheduled to open in stages, starting from December this year. We expect to fully open TEL by 2024. Constructing a rail line is a complex operation. The implementation timelines are carefully planned to ensure safety is not compromised. It is unlikely that we can expedite the opening of the TEL further. There is no plan to extend the TEL to Pasir Ris and Punggol. However, the Land Transport Authority is studying the feasibility of extending the proposed Cross Island Line (CRL) to serve these areas. Engineering studies for the Pasir Ris–Punggol stretch of the CRL are ongoing.”
“The Land Transport Authority does not allow Letter of Consent holders to obtain a Private Hire Car Driver's Vocational Licence.”
“Between January 2016 and December 2018, the Traffic Police recorded 12 accidents along West Coast Road (the section between Penjuru Road, Jurong Town Hall Road and Teban Gardens). Existing road safety measures along that stretch of West Coast Road include integrated pedestrian crossings with countdown timers to allow pedestrians to cross safely, and road markings that remind/encourage motorists to slow down. Double white lines with raised reflective pavement markers are drawn along the middle of road sections that are near bus stops to prohibit overtaking. Safety bollards have also been installed at bus stops to protect the safety of waiting commuters. In addition, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) is studying the implementation of additional traffic calming measures, such as centre dividers and bus-friendly humps, to reduce vehicle speeds and improve pedestrian safety. LTA and the Traffic Police will continue to monitor the situation along West Coast Road. We urge all road users to play their part and exercise caution and consideration when using our roads.”
“We introduced the Bus Service Reliability Framework (BSRF) in 2016 to incentivise bus operators to improve the timeliness of bus arrivals. The framework is designed to strike a balance between achieving timely arrivals to minimise waiting times, and higher bus speeds to reduce journey times. The target arrival times are set as a range, to provide bus captains with some flexibility under different traffic conditions. Arrival times are also regularly reviewed, taking into account route length and historical traffic conditions. Bus operators which meet the targets are given incentives, of which a part is shared with the bus captains. I am happy to note that 337 out of 363 bus services assessed under the BSRF outperformed the targets in the second quarter of 2018, resulting in more reliable bus services. Bus captains have provided feedback that the BSRF requirements cause them stress. To support bus captains in meeting the standards, bus operators provide training and deploy service controllers who remotely provide guidance. As a result of these efforts, the National Transport Workers' Union has observed that there are now fewer of such complaints from bus captains. Commuters sometimes raise concerns that BSRF has caused buses to travel at slow speeds even when there is no traffic, so as to avoid arriving ahead of schedule. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) works closely with the operators to regularly review and optimise bus schedules. Commuters can also provide their feedback on specific bus services to LTA, which will take them into account during such reviews.”
“The reply has been addressed at the 14 January 2019 Parliament Sitting. [Please refer to "Preventing Disruptions at Changi Airport Caused by Drones", Official Report, 14 January 2019, Vol 94, Issue 87, Oral Answers to Questions section.]”