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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“For the railway sector, our ITEs, polytechnics and universities launched seven new railway engineering courses, ranging from National ITE Certificate to Masters. The first few batches of graduates will be ready to join the industry in the next one to two years. We are also working with programme partners to launch more rail-related Continuing Education and Training programmes, such as the Nanyang Technological University's new Specialist Certificate in Civil Infrastructure Engineering, to help environmental engineers gain civil engineering knowledge. Third, attracting mid-career switchers. Agencies, such as BCA and LTA, have also been working with Workforce Singapore and the Employment and Employability Institute to attract mid-career switchers through Professional Conversion Programmes by equipping workers from other sectors with the relevant competencies to embark on a career in the infrastructure sector.”
“As Singapore embarks on major infrastructural projects in the coming decades, the Government will continue to work closely with the tripartite partners to build a strong pipeline of engineers and technicians to meet the sector's manpower needs. We expect the demand for technicians and engineers to grow steadily in the coming years. The railway sector, for example, employs more than 2,000 engineers and 4,000 technicians today and will need to employ another 1,500 by 2020. Another area of demand is for lift technicians as Singapore's built environment continues to transform. There are currently about 2,100 lift technicians and, by 2020, we expect to employ another 1,000 more. The tripartite partners have worked together to formulate a package of measures to attract and retain talent. First, industry-wide branding and promotion of engineering and technical jobs. For example, in 2015, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) established a $12.5 million Public Transport Manpower Development Fund to support initiatives, such as career fairs, internships and study awards, to uplift the image of engineering and technical careers and attract new entrants to the industry. Second, building a dedicated pipeline of engineering and technical expertise. We have also been ramping up the offering of training programmes at both the Pre-Employment Training and Continuing Education and Training levels, as well as structured on-the-job training. For example, the Building and Construction Authority (BCA) is partnering lift companies to offer scholarships/sponsorships to attract Singaporeans at the degree, diploma and Institute of Technical Education (ITE) levels to take up lift maintenance-related courses and careers.”
“During the 29 August tunnel fire incident, there were different warning messages for motorists at different locations, as intended. Those inside the tunnel were advised via the tunnel messaging and broadcast system to exit the tunnel immediately if they could or turn off their vehicle engines before evacuating via the nearest emergency exit if they could not. Motorists outside the tunnel were advised not to enter via electronic signboards, radio broadcasts and online and mobile platforms. However, for a short period after the fire was put out, the messages were not synchronised. Messages outside the tunnel had ceased to advise motorists not to enter, but the Land Transport Authority (LTA) tunnel broadcast system continued to ask motorists to evacuate the tunnel. This caused some initial confusion. LTA has since reviewed the process and fixed the problem. As there could be traffic congestion in the tunnel, the Singapore Civil Defence Force's firefighters will respond to the site of the fire from both directions. Officers coming from the opposite direction at the incident location will access the site via cross-passage doors within the tunnel. Fire bikes will also be despatched, and firefighting vehicles may travel on the road shoulder to reach the site.”
“The Land Transport Authority has confirmed with all our Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and Light Rail Transit (LRT) train manufacturers that no non-conforming products from Kobe Steel have been used in our trains. This includes the Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI)-CSR Sifang consortium that is replacing the car-body bolster for 26 North-South and East-West Lines trains, as well as manufacturing the new fleet of trains for the Thomson-East Coast Line. Land Transport Authority (LTA) officers based in Qingdao work closely with KHI-CSR Sifang to ensure that our trains are manufactured according to LTA’s specifications. The safety of commuters is our utmost concern. LTA will continue to monitor any new developments from the investigations into the quality of products manufactured by Kobe Steel.”
“There are about 1,500 signalised junctions with shared green time. This is about 90% of all signalised junctions. Such junctions allow vehicles to turn when there are no pedestrians crossing during the green-man phase, ensuring smoother traffic flow on our roads. Over the last 10 years, there were, on average, about three fatal accidents and 40 injury accidents per year at signalised junctions involving a pedestrian or cyclist and vehicles turning right during the green-man phase. However, we do not have the breakdown of whether these accidents occurred at junctions with or without shared green time. To enhance pedestrians' safety at signalised junctions with shared green time, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has adjusted traffic light timings to give pedestrians a headstart in crossing the road. LTA has also installed lighted road studs as well as additional road markings and signs at higher-risk junctions to remind motorists to give way.”
“For safety reasons, the Traffic Police require any passenger below 1.35 metres in height to be properly secured by an approved child restraint or booster seat. However, taxis are exempted from this rule because they can be street-hailed, and it would not be practical to expect them to be equipped with child restraints or booster seat at all times, or to reject passengers with infants or children. In comparison, private hire cars are pre-booked, and passengers can indicate upfront if they require child restraints or booster seats.”
“The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is conducting trials on the effectiveness of noise barriers along West Coast Highway, certain stretches of the Pan Island Expressway, as well as a new flyover along Braddell Road. Preliminary results have been positive. Aside from noise barriers, LTA is also studying a road surface material that can dampen traffic noise levels.”
“We currently already allow certain developments located in the city centre the flexibility to provide up to 20% less than the prescribed vehicle parking standards. Given the improvements that we have made to public transport and first-last mile connectivity in recent years, we are also reviewing the vehicle parking standards for developments in areas well-connected to public transport, including the Central Business District.”
“Although Malaysia's Vehicle Entry Permit (VEP) shares the same name as Singapore's VEP, they serve different purposes. Singapore’s VEP fee is to equalise the cost of owning and using a Malaysia-registered vehicle in Singapore with that of a Singapore-registered vehicle. Malaysia’s VEP fee, on the other hand, appears to be intended to recover the cost of radio-frequency identification (RFID) cards from users of foreign vehicles entering Malaysia. Malaysia has also announced that it will implement the VEP fee at the Causeway, the Second Link and the Malaysia-Thailand borders from end-2017, and at the Malaysia-Brunei and Malaysia-Indonesia borders in 2018. There are no plans to introduce a reciprocal charge for now. We will monitor Malaysia’s implementation of VEP.”
“The incident happened on 15 October at about 12:40 pm, due to a broken track circuit cable lug between Hillview and Beauty World stations. The track circuit fault caused a Downtown Line (DTL)2 train to stall, moments after leaving Cashew station for Hillview station. It had to be manually driven back to Cashew station and all passengers were detrained safely. Normal train services resumed at 1:20 pm. While the fault occurred on DTL2, we decided to temporarily suspend the injection of trains into DTL3, so as to avoid congestion on DTL2. This has affected the DTL3 Open House but, overall, the Open House was a great success, attracting 360,000 visitors. They familiarised themselves with DTL3 and were clearly enthusiastic. DTL3 officially commenced service on 21 October, and DTL now serves some 420,000 commuter trips daily on weekdays. This has been a major milestone for us and a great achievement for the DTL team.”
“Under the Road Traffic Act, emergency vehicles, such as ambulances, firefighting vehicles or Police vehicles can only switch on their warning lights during emergencies to warn other vehicles to give way. Like other international jurisdictions, such as Japan, Australia and the United Kingdom, we do not regulate the number and brightness of the warning lights.”
“I thank the Members for their questions. I intend to respond to their questions and those filed by other Members fully by way of a Ministerial Statement on 7 November 2017. I invite the Members to seek clarifications, if any, after the Statement is delivered.”
“We take commuter safety seriously. We rely primarily on the Private Hire Car Driver's Vocational Licence (PDVL) scheme, rather than the efforts of Uber or other ride platforms, to protect our commuters. As part of the application process for a PDVL, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will screen the candidate's background and driving records. Individuals who have committed violent crimes or serious driving offences will be disqualified. Applicants are also required to attend courses and pass the requisite tests to ensure that they have the knowledge and skills. In addition, PDVL holders who are suspected of committing or are convicted of serious criminal or driving-related offences may have their PDVLs suspended or revoked. On their part, private hire car booking service operators need to ensure that only licensed drivers and cars are deployed on their platforms. LTA can serve a General Suspension Order on private hire car booking service operators whose drivers have been convicted for three times over a 12-month period. The nature of convictions includes (a) providing private hire car services without a valid vocational licence, (b) using an unlicensed vehicle to provide services, or (c) using a private hire car that is inappropriately insured. Last year, drivers for private hire car booking service operators and traditional limousine companies were involved in about 700 road accidents. These accidents could have happened when the driver was driving for hire and reward, or in his personal capacity. There were also nine instances where drivers for private hire car booking service operators were arrested for commuter-related crimes. We review our policies regularly to ensure that they are effective in ensuring commuter safety.”
“Over the past 10 years, there have been 23 instances of Freon gas leaks on trains. Freon gas can interact with moisture in the air to form an odourless white smoke. The smoke poses no health risk to the public. As soon as a leak is reported, affected commuters are detrained at the next station, and the train withdrawn for repair.”
“The main factor is the width of the road. All signalised pedestrian crossings are programmed with a steady green man time of six to 10 seconds, and a flashing green man time of one second per metre in road width. Pedestrian crossings that are used by high numbers of seniors or persons with disabilities have the Green Man Plus scheme. When these pedestrians tap their concession cards on the reader, they will have more time to cross. Depending on the width of the road, the green man time can be extended by up to 13 seconds. There are currently 760 Green Man Plus crossings, and we will increase this number to 1,000 by end-2018.”
“The Singapore Strait is a busy waterway with 84,000 vessels transiting through it in 2016. The Singapore port is also a major transhipment hub and receives an average of 380 vessels a day, or close to 139,000 vessels a year. Despite the heavy traffic, the number of major incidents has dropped over the years, from 13 in 2011, to one each in 2015 and 2016. Please see Table 1 below. Table 1: Vessel Traffic and Major Incidents in Singapore Waters”
“We currently do not track the number of accidents involving power-assisted bicycles (PABs) that are non-compliant for use in Singapore or have been illegally modified. However, moving forward, the Land Transport Authority will work towards tracking such cases as part of enforcement actions against errant PAB users. Users of non-compliant or illegally modified PABs may be fined up to $5,000, or jailed up to three months, or both, for the first offence. For subsequent offences, the offender may be fined up to $10,000, or jailed up to six months, or both.”
“The Government will continue to monitor global developments and work with industry partners to ensure that Singapore retains its edge as a global hub port and international maritime centre.”
“At present, it is too early to determine the long-term impact of the opening of the Arctic shipping routes on the port of Singapore. Current commercial viability of these routes is low for a number of reasons. Sailing through the Arctic is still largely confined to the summer months, making it difficult to operate scheduled services, which is critical to container shipping. There are also limited opportunities for shippers to lift and drop off cargo as areas enroute through the Arctic are largely unpopulated. Further, ships sailing through the Arctic require specialised ice-breaking equipment and have to pay higher insurance premiums due to the extreme conditions. In 2016, only 19 sailings were made through the Northern Sea Route, which is the main Arctic sea route. Regardless of the competition posed by the Arctic shipping routes and other regional trade and connectivity routes, our priority has been to ensure that the port of Singapore continues to improve its competitiveness. We have plans to increase port capacity, so that Singapore has the capacity to meet the long-term needs of container lines. To this end, development on the new Tuas Terminal has commenced and, when fully completed, this terminal will be able to handle up to 65-metre twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs). The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore is also working closely with the Port of Singapore Authority (PSA) to build a better port through investing heavily in technology. For instance, PSA has deployed a fully automated yard crane system at the new berths at the Pasir Panjang Terminal to enhance efficiency, reliability and workplace safety.”
“For the first half of this year, there were about 90 accidents involving power-assisted bicycles (PABs) and personal mobility devices (PMDs), resulting in four deaths and about 90 injuries. The majority of these accidents took place on the roads. With the passage of the Active Mobility Bill, rules on safe riding behaviour, including speed limits and device specifications, will come into force by the end of this year. There will be stiff penalties for offences, such as reckless riding. In the meantime, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) is stepping up its enforcement efforts and has issued over 1,400 advisories for unsafe riding. LTA has also commenced registration of PABs. We will continue to complement enforcement efforts with public education and outreach programmes. The Safe Riding Programme will be launched to educate cyclists and PMD users on safe riding practices. More than 800 people have volunteered for the Active Mobility Patrol Scheme and are helping to educate fellow residents on safe riding practices.”
“Widening of footpaths is part of the Silver Zone programme, which aims to enhance road safety for the elderly. Of the 11 completed Silver Zones, seven already have widened footpaths or dedicated cycling paths to complement existing footpaths. Going forward, new footpaths will be at least 1.8 metres wide, compared to today’s standard of 1.5 metres.”
“It is an offence for motorists to drive or leave a vehicle on a Bus Lane during restricted hours or not to give way to buses or stay in a Bus Priority Box. Between January and August 2017, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) enforcement officers, through the help of cameras, detected around 13,000 Bus Lane infringements and 700 Bus Priority Box infringements. This is a 30% and 70% reduction respectively, compared to the same period in 2016. Information on the schemes is regularly broadcasted on LTA Traffic News and presented on the LTA and One.Motoring websites. To further increase public awareness of the schemes, banners are also put up at affected locations to alert and remind motorists.”
“The Land Transport Authority (LTA) requires the rail operators to inform passengers of any delay exceeding 10 minutes during peak hours and exceeding 15 minutes during off-peak hours, without exception. This is done through announcements in stations, on board trains, on the operator and LTA websites, as well as through mainstream and social media. For delays that require longer recovery times, additional information will be provided to help commuters plan their journeys better. Over the last two years, there have been no cases where LTA has found the operator liable for failing to meet these requirements.”
“Under its original licence to operate the North-South and East-West Lines, the Singapore Mass Rapid Transit (SMRT) owned the rail operating assets and was solely responsible for renewing and upgrading these assets, so long as it met the Land Transport Authority's (LTA's) regulatory requirements for system performance and reliability. Its decision on the intended timing of the replacement of the signalling system was internal and was not in breach of the terms of its licence. We have since transited SMRT's rail lines to the New Rail Financing Framework (NRFF). Under NRFF, LTA owns the operating assets, putting it firmly in the driver's seat for asset renewals and upgrades.”
“We welcome the submission of photographs and videos to enhance the Land Transport Authority's (LTA’s) enforcement efforts against reckless riding. When the Active Mobility Act comes into force at the end of this year, reckless riders will be liable for fines up to $5,000 or imprisonment not exceeding six months, or both. At the same time, LTA has embarked on a nationwide communications campaign and is working with volunteers and stakeholders, such as interest groups and retailers of personal mobility devices, to raise awareness of the new active mobility rules.”
“Approval must be sought from the Land Transport Authority (LTA) before inward-facing cameras can be installed in taxis and private hire cars. LTA will approve the installation if there are sufficient safeguards for passenger's privacy. For taxis, taxi companies have to undertake to ensure that the camera recordings can only be accessed by authorised personnel and will only be used for investigation purposes. Private hire car companies that wish to install inward-facing cameras must likewise seek approval from LTA and comply with similar requirements. Taxi or private hire car drivers who encounter rogue passengers can approach their taxi or private hire car companies or the Police for assistance.”
“Rail operators are required to adhere to the Operating Performance Standards (OPS) imposed by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) as part of their licensing conditions. This covers areas, such as safety, reliability and service quality, for example, train headways, punctuality and frequency of delays. LTA assesses the quality of service through regular checks of the stations and trains, special audits of the processes and commuter feedback. All feedback is taken seriously and conveyed to the rail operators for improvement.”
“From January to August 2017, there was a total of 149 Mass Rapid Transit delays lasting longer than five minutes. Of these, 90 were due to the installation of the new signalling system on the North-South Line and Tuas West Extension. Such delays are temporary in nature and, as the new system stabilises, will fall in occurrence. The number of such delays peaked at 27 in June and has dropped to seven in August. The declining trend continues. However, testing on the East-West Line has not yet begun. We seek commuters' continued support and patience during this period.”
“The additional 50% Vehicle Emissions Scheme (VES) rebate and surcharge applicable to taxis will not be applied to private hire cars. This is because private hire cars generally have much lower mileages compared to taxis.”
“From 1 July 2016 to 30 June 2017, there were 1,139 accidents involving private hire cars. Private hire car drivers are required to obtain a Private Hire Car Driver's Vocational Licence (PDVL). To do so, applicants must attend and pass the PDVL course, which has modules on safe driving. PDVL holders will also be given demerit points for unsafe conduct. The Land Transport Authority will continue to work closely with the National Private Hire Vehicles' Association and private hire car service operators to promote safe driving.”
“Ride hailing apps increase the range of options for commuters in hailing a taxi. Based on commuters' satisfaction with taxi services (surveyed by the Public Transport Council) and waiting times at taxi stands, both of which have improved in the last year, there is no evidence to suggest that the number of taxis available for street hire or at taxi stands is insufficient to meet current demand.”
“The Land Transport Authority is studying the request and checking if the site conditions are suitable and whether it meets the criteria for installing lifts to an overhead bridge.”
“The number of notices issued to taxis and private hire cars for illegal parking and stopping at taxi stands and taxi stops in 2015, 2016 and first half of 2017 is as follows: The Land Transport Authority will continue to deploy enforcement officers and closed-circuit television cameras to deter the misuse of taxi stands and taxi stops.”
“Importers and dealers must provide documentary proof that their motor vehicles meet international vehicle safety standards before the motor vehicles can be registered for use in Singapore. Should defects be uncovered after registration, they are required to notify the Land Transport Authority (LTA), affected vehicle owners and prospective buyers of the defects and also arrange to recall and repair the vehicles. Vehicle owners must also produce their vehicles for rectification after receiving recall notices from their importers or dealers, after which it is the duty of importers and dealers to verify that the rectifications have been done in accordance with the manufacturers’ specifications and update LTA on the rectification progress. Importers and dealers who do not comply with the vehicle recall regulations will be fined up to $2,000 for each vehicle, subject to a maximum fine of $50,000. In April 2016, LTA was informed of Honda Japan's recall of their Honda Vezel cars, some of which are owned by Lion City Rental, a subsidiary of Uber. LTA immediately informed all importers and dealers of affected vehicles to recall the vehicles for rectification. LTA also requested the Automobile Importer and Exporter Association and the Singapore Vehicle Traders Association to remind their members to begin recalling affected Honda Vezel cars for rectification. Out of the 113 importers and dealers who sold affected Honda Vezels, 89 have notified their customers of the recall and started rectifying the vehicles. Of the remaining 24 importers and dealers who have not done so, LTA has taken legal action against three and is investigating the rest. As of 4 September 2017, 42% of all affected Honda Vezels have been rectified.”
“The Safe Riding Programme (SRP), which was originally scheduled for launch in July, has been delayed till the end of this year. More time was required to refine the tender requirements after consultation with various stakeholders. In the meantime, we are fostering a culture of safe and responsible riding in three ways. First, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) is raising awareness and adoption of the new active mobility rules through a nation-wide communications campaign and engagements with stakeholders, such as personal mobility device retailers and interest groups. Second, the Government has stepped up enforcement against unsafe riding. Since January this year, LTA has issued more than 1,400 advisories for unsafe riding. LTA also plans to pilot the deployment of closed-circuit television cameras at hotspots to deter errant behaviour. Third, we have garnered more than 800 volunteers under the Active Mobility Patrol Scheme to conduct regular patrols in their communities and to share safe riding practices with residents.”
“Bicycle sharing operators (BSOs) are responsible for ensuring that their bicycles are not indiscriminately parked. If a shared bicycle is reported to be outside of a public bicycle parking lot, they have to remove it within half a day or face a penalty of $300 for the first offence and $500 per bicycle for subsequent offences. On top of this, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will impound the bicycle and levy a fee on the BSO for each bicycle impounded. In addition, LTA, the National Parks Board and Town Councils are working with BSOs on a Memorandum of Understanding to lay out guidelines on the responsible operation of bicycle-sharing services in public spaces.”
“Our airline industry is growing steadily. Since 2015, the airline workforce has grown by more than 5% to nearly 17,000 workers today. Company staff attrition rates have not been unusual. In 2016 and the first six months of 2017, for example, while Singapore-based airlines saw about 2,600 employees leaving their employment, a larger number, about 3,400, joined the airlines. The airline industry is, of course, not immune to disruptions brought about by technology, foreign competition and innovative business models. The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore and the Changi Airport Group, for example, work closely with the airlines to develop new routes and increase traffic to and from Singapore. Importantly, airlines have to regularly evaluate their value proposition in order to stay relevant and competitive. Management and unions are alive to the competition and understand the need for continuous restructuring and embracing automation to raise productivity and meet rising consumer demand. There are several platforms for the Government and the airlines to discuss these changes and jointly formulate our response strategies, such as our industry engagement session by the Connectivity Subcommittee in 2016 to inform the works of the Committee on the Future Economy (CFE). In line with the CFE recommendations, we have launched the Air Transport Industry Transformation Map in April this year, to grow value-add per worker, improve the quality of jobs and raise productivity. This will further support our airlines' efforts to stay ahead of the competition.”
“As part of the transition to the bus contracting model, we had further raised service standards. The maximum headway during peak hours is reduced from 20 minutes to 15 minutes, with feeder bus services reduced by up to two minutes to between six to eight minutes. In addition, operators are incentivised and penalised on the regularity or timeliness of bus arrivals for all the services. This has resulted in a 25% reduction in average additional waiting time for 290 bus services. Commuters have benefited from more frequent and timelier bus arrivals, and less crowded buses. We have also seen the four bus companies enhancing their working conditions, human resource practices and employment terms to compete for bus captains. In fact, about 600 more Singaporeans have been attracted to the industry since the first package was implemented. A happier workforce will ultimately lead to better service delivery.”
“Today, all public buses are already equipped with cameras and speed limiters. The newer buses have enhanced safety features. Around 40% of the fleet has telematics and around 15% has anti-collision warning systems. Over time, these will be standard features in all public buses. The Land Transport Authority is also exploring more advanced safety features, such as blind spot warning systems.”
“When the green-man signal is on, turning vehicles must always give way to pedestrians crossing the road. To disallow vehicles from turning when the green-man signal is on but there are no pedestrians crossing may hamper traffic flow unnecessarily. Nevertheless, to further enhance pedestrians’ safety, the Land Transport Authority has adjusted traffic light timings to give pedestrians a headstart in crossing the road and installed lighted road studs and additional road markings and signs at higher risk junctions to remind motorists to give way.”
“Testing of the East-West Line will then commence, for completion next year. The software improvements and lessons learnt from the North-South Line will be carried over to the East-West Line. The new signalling system will be a significant upgrade from the legacy system used since 1987. Once stabilised, train services will be more reliable. We can increase the number of trains to be deployed on the network, leading to shorter waiting times for commuters. However, much work remains to be done. I seek the public's continued patience and support.”
“I have advised them earlier to not rush this project. We started with more than 1,300 tests conducted during non-service hours, running empty trains. It was useful glitches were discovered and software patches were duly installed and re-tested. After we were satisfied with these tests, we embarked on testing under "live" conditions, with trains loaded with commuters. Even then, we started small, with off-peak testing during the last hour of service from 28 March, and full Sunday testing from 16 April. During full Sunday testing, we also ramped up the frequency of trains to mirror weekday conditions. New glitches were discovered and more software patches installed and re-tested. Again, only after we were fully satisfied with these second and third phases of testing did we embark on full-weekday testing from 28 May. Full-weekday testing is necessary to stress the system under typical peak hour conditions, when trains run at high frequencies with heavy commuter loads. But again, to be extra careful, we scheduled the start of testing to coincide with the June school holidays, when commuter traffic was lighter. We are now at the tail end of this phase of testing for the North-South Line. Despite our best efforts, commuters have had to endure some service delays, as forewarned by the London Underground. Nevertheless, the implementation has been smoother than what we feared. The prolonged testing and progressive stressing of the system has generally paid off. While it has not eliminated delays, it has minimised them. As for project timeline, we are currently focused on stabilising the North-South Line. We have seen promising results from the latest software installed on 14 July. We expect to complete testing for the North-South Line before December.”
“Installing a new signalling system is a complex exercise. For the entire North-South and East-West Lines, re-signalling will entail the installation of new equipment in more than 95 kilometres of train tracks, 141 trains, 54 stations and three train depots. This involves thousands of individual radio devices, more than 1,600 kilometres of communication and control cables, and the end-to-end rewiring of four different train models to accommodate the new hardware. That, however, is still the relatively easier part of the project. The more challenging part is to integrate the new signalling system to work properly with the other rail systems, whilst the North-South and East-West Lines remain operational. It is akin to implanting a new central nervous system to a living body, whilst ensuring that the other organs continue to function. The London Underground, which also undertook such a re-signalling project a few years ago, took almost a year for its new system to stabilise. They were the first to warn us of these challenges, and I had shared their painful experience in this House early in the year. This was despite them implementing more than a hundred partial line closures to facilitate installation and testing. For us, closing the North-South or East-West Line is not an option. These two lines account for more than two million rides daily. We need to continue to operate the legacy signalling system even as we install and test the new system. The Member alluded to the complexity of keeping both signalling systems operational. This is, indeed, the case. The Singapore Mass Rapid Transit (SMRT), the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the system supplier Thales have, therefore, taken a cautious and progressive approach to installing and testing the new signalling system.”
“All delays, not just those arising from the new signalling system, are thoroughly investigated and immediate steps taken to prevent a recurrence. Following any major delay, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the rail operators will activate their incident management plans which include deploying additional staff to affected stations, broadcasting of travel alerts to commuters and the provision of alternative transport options. LTA closely monitors how our public transport operators respond to each incident, to learn the lessons so as to improve the incident management process. As for compensation, LTA requires the operator to refund the fares of commuters who are forced to exit the train network as they are unable to complete their journeys because of service disruptions. Operators are also required to provide them with free public and bridging bus services.”
“Bus operators are currently required to seek LTA's approval before proceeding with route diversions. This is to ensure that buses are not diverted unnecessarily, thereby inconveniencing commuters on board. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) typically grants approvals within 15 minutes. Should the road be impassable, bus operators have the autonomy to proceed with route diversion. LTA reviews this process periodically.”
“Under the Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP), we committed to add 1,000 buses, bringing the total public bus fleet to about 5,500. To date, 960 buses and 76 bus routes have been added. The remaining 40 buses will be added by the end of the year. Consequently, commuters are enjoying shorter waiting times and less crowded buses. The maximum headway during peak periods has shortened from 20 minutes to 15 minutes for all bus services, and from eight to six minutes for feeder bus services. Average loading has also eased for almost 90% of bus services. The Land Transport Authority will be trialling on-demand public bus services at selected areas during off-peak hours early next year. The trial will inform on whether such services are suitable for more widespread deployment, including during peak periods.”
“It has not. Over the last two years, the number of private hire cars has tripled. The number of accidents involving such cars has similarly increased by about three times.”
“The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has imposed a minimum of two years’ driving experience, rather than a minimum age, on applicants for the Private Hire Car Driver's Vocational Licence. Traffic accident data does not show that there is a higher incidence of accidents among younger drivers. LTA also rejects applicants with a poor driving record, such as conviction for drunk driving and those who have had their driving licence revoked. These conditions are reviewed regularly.”
“Yes, I do. I spend a lot of time with our troops on the ground in the trenches within the tunnels, day time, night time, each time there is something to celebrate, I go down to celebrate with them, buy them some durians, buy them some curry puffs. Little, small gestures, but I think it makes some difference to them as well as to me because I want to satisfy myself that people are not lazing around, giving excuses, but actually putting all their heart and soul into their projects – and they do. The reason why I spend time, and recently I have a little argument with the media, was because I feel for my people. They put so much effort, heart, sweat and tears into their project. I think the minimum they hope is that people will cheer them on rather than jeer at them. Because it is a multi-year effort, it is like a war. Fighting a multi-year war, I think staff morale is key. If we are able to keep staff morale high, I think the success possibility will be high. It is so easy to feel discouraged and say let us quit. But we have a job to do and we will deliver.”
“It was in this House at COS when I explained the problem on the London Underground.”