MRT/LRT News

[RafflesCity]

nah figuring out which door opens comes with familiarity I guess..it would be too much info for the harried passenger. Maybe a green light that flashes would be cool.

Cantonese funky?

[ignoramus]

Its funky cause whenever I hear people speaking Cantonese, it sounds so cool... Its like they are singing. Contrast this with Hokkien I could just PUKE! And the HK Film industry portrays Cantonese to be a hip cool funky dialect too..

[RafflesCity]

yup always had that impression but oh well..would be cool if they did it once just for fun

[ignoramus]

Like in Seoul they have these themed trains plying the routes during special occasions. When I mean themed it isn't just posters pasted everywhere but rather themed fittings lighting etc. Look at the Korean forums... The only themed trains that SMRT specifically sponsored are like those we just saw on the news today, the Healthy train or something like that. Every movie, comedy and advertisment in Singapore has some moral value or lesson attached to it...its good but too much of it is a bad thing...

[RafflesCity]

well thats an example of how Singapore tries to educate its citizenry - which is quite unique but often foreigners find it ridiculous.

themed trains - could be interesting but if it isnt profitable I doubt theyd bother...maybe a charity train lol

[babystan03]

Oct 27, 2004
Ride the bus or train - and you might win a car

TO REWARD its bus and train commuters, transport company SMRT is planning to give away a car.

A Nissan March - minus certificate of entitlement, insurance and road tax - to be exact. It is the top prize in SMRT's inaugural Ride-for-Free Countdown promotion.

Launched yesterday, the promotion is on till April 11 next year. Commuters who make adult-fare trips on SMRT trains, buses and the Bukit Panjang Light Rail Transit (LRT) will have the numbers on their ez-link cards automatically entered into mini-draws. These draws will be held fortnightly at 1pm.

Eight winners from each draw will win 88 days of free travel on SMRT buses, trains and the Bukit Panjang LRT.

The promotion ends in a grand draw on April 23, with the Nissan March as the top prize. Consolation prizes of a year's free travel on SMRT transport will be given to eight commuters.

SMRT chief executive Saw Phaik Hwa said the promotion was to reward existing commuters and to encourage people to travel on SMRT's buses and trains.

But why offer a car as the top prize? Ms Saw said: 'According to a recent survey, a car is one of Singaporeans' most desired possessions. So here, we'll be fulfilling someone's dream.'

Copyright © 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

[babystan03]

This story was printed from TODAYonline

LRT losses here to stay?

Low ridership issue tough to solve

Wednesday • October 27, 2004

Ng Shing Yi
shingyi@newstoday.com.sg

Touted as the mini-rail that links your doorstep to the nearest MRT station, the Light Rail Transit (LRT) opened to great expectations in 1999.

Tabled as part of the 1996 White Paper on Transport, the LRT was envisioned as integral to a "world-class transport system", borrowed from European and American cities, said MP Ang Mong Seng, who is a member of the Government parliamentary committee on transport.

Such bullishness has since waned, as empty unsold flats dotting the suburban landscapes of Bukit Panjang, Sengkang and Punggol are reflected in the half-full LRT trains that have been losing millions since they started service.

"Squeezed" between the two main forms of public transport — buses and trains — the LRT system has not been profitable in the past five years for Bukit Panjang LRT operator SMRT Corp.

It has been plagued by poor ridership and huge repair costs, breaking down over 50 times in five years.

Just last year, SMRT accrued a loss of $4.3 million on its light rail system, up from the $3.3-million loss in financial year 2003.

And since it opened its doors in January, Sengkang LRT operator SBS Transit, a subsidiary of the ComfortDelgro Group, has also lost amounts of money it does not want to disclose.

Neither LRT operator foresees breaking even in the near future, with ComfortDelgro spokesperson Tammy Tan saying that any turnaround would be "largely dependent on the urban development and population of the LRT's catchment area at Sengkang".

And, to a large extent, urban developments in most LRT areas have fallen short of expectations.

In the wake of an unanticipated fall in housing demand, a huge gulf has opened up between current development and earlier projections.

"Parts of Bukit Panjang and Yew Tee are still vacant land that were supposed to be housing estates. With no population base to draw from, there is a shortage of thousands of riders," said Mayor of the Northwest District and MP for Holland-Bukit Panjang, Dr Teo Ho Pin.

"The only way to make the LRT profitable is to get higher ridership and that only comes about with sufficient commuters in the estates," said principal researcher at the National University of Singapore Centre for Transportation Research, Professor K Raguraman.

As of March, the 29,000 housing units in Bukit Panjang and 37,000 in Sengkang formed a fraction of the "projected ultimate" of 43,000 and 95,000 units respectively, according to this year's HDB annual report.

In Punggol, there are only 14,000 units, well short of the projected ultimate 96,000 units.

However, the launch of the Punggol LRT is scheduled to go ahead, with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to hand over its testing and operations to SBS Transit at the end of the year.

"Once on the drawing boards of LTA five to 10 years ago and tendered out, it was a problem to recall the infrastructural project," said MP for Pasir Ris-Punggol Penny Low.

Bukit Panjang's Dr Teo argues that previous models do not serve as a "deterrent" to the new Punggol LRT, even though daily ridership figures on the Bukit Panjang LRT averaged 37,000 in FY2004, a far cry from the 50,000 passengers per day SMRT estimated it needs to break even. Similarly, ridership on the Sengkang LRT averaged 18,000 per day as of this month.

"In Punggol, they built the LRT in tandem with the town so it could serve 90 to 100 per cent of the residents. For Bukit Panjang, the town was built first, then the LRT. So our disadvantage was that the train could not go around the whole town to pick up everybody," reasoned Dr Teo.

Mr Ang maintains that he expects the LRT to break even in the next 10 to 15 years.

"Each MRT stop should be linked with the LRT as we extend the system island-wide. Costs will be cut if more people are educated to use it," Mr Ang said.

Transport analysts also suggest that the quickest solution, though hardly the most popular, could be to raise fares. But MPs interviewed disagreed with that option.

Another unpopular solution could be to rationalise bus services, so that "people have no choice but to take the LRT", said Mr Najeeb Jarhom, head of research at Fraser Securities.

Mr Ang also wants the transport operators to look into "alternative revenue" from advertising or rental space, for instance, as "the whole of the LRT track is advertising space", he argues.

But if there is a creative solution out there, it may need to be found pretty quick, say the experts.

Prof Raguraman argues that waiting for housing to fill up is not the best solution. He said: "Once you put in infrastructure, there's depreciation and various other costs involved when infrastructure is not used."

One analyst suggested that the only way out of the LRT conundrum could be for the Government to consider some form of indirect compensation or rebates for the operators.

Whatever the decision, experts believe that the LRT has taught planners a valuable lesson. "Some LRT systems are in the plans, but I don't think they will build ahead of demand again," he said.

Copyright MediaCorp Press Ltd. All rights reserved.

[RafflesCity]

Whatever the decision, experts believe that the LRT has taught planners a valuable lesson. "Some LRT systems are in the plans, but I don't think they will build ahead of demand again," he said.

same goes for office buildings and demand

[eyetoeye]

Originally Posted by RafflesCity

well thats an example of how Singapore tries to educate its citizenry - which is quite unique but often foreigners find it ridiculous.

themed trains - could be interesting but if it isnt profitable I doubt theyd bother...maybe a charity train lol

Singapore is just too sterile for this sort of thing.... in the US you get things like people throwing spontaneous parties on trains or even have weddings and stuff on the subway. It's hilarious, but well.... haha...

[RafflesCity]

even if we wanted to have such a spontaneous event on our public transport, you will always have anal members writing in to complain that they will be late or that the transport isnt performing - a waste of taxpayers money, or that it will mess up the spick and span train or be a hindrance to safety...

[babystan03]

Business Times - 29 Oct 2004

SMRT profit jumps 182% to $61.2m in Q2

$52m tax write-back from overprovisions helps boost gains

By SAMUEL EE

A $52.1 million tax write-back, offset partially by goodwill impairment losses of $21.4 million, helped lift SMRT Corp's net profit for the second quarter by 182 per cent to $61.2 million.

Excluding the write-back resulting from adjustment for overprovision of current and deferred tax liabilities and the goodwill impairment, the transport group's net profit for the three months ended Sept 30 rose 40.7 per cent to $30.5 million. The goodwill impairment losses were due to the early adoption of the new accounting standard, Financial Reporting Standard 103.

Revenue for Q2 fell 0.9 per cent year-on-year to $172.4 million due mainly to the absorption of the additional one percentage point rise in goods and services tax (GST).

As a result, despite a 0.4 per cent rise in average daily ridership, fare revenue from train operations for Q2 fell $1.7 million or 1.8 per cent. Q2 revenue from bus operations was relatively stable, helped by a rise in ridership. Taxi rental revenue rose but income from rental of commercial space fell because of temporary redevelopment and renovation works.

SMRT president and CEO Saw Phaik Hwa said revenue for the first half rose 1.7 per cent to $338 million mainly from an expanded taxi fleet.

SMRT added about 400 taxis in the first half and will continue to grow the fleet by another 600 units to bring the total to 3,100 taxis by the end of the current financial year.

'This is a competitive market and we will continue to expand at this rate to a number that the market can absorb,' Ms Saw said when asked whether SMRT planned to buy more taxis next year.

An interim gross dividend of 1.5 cents per share less tax has been declared, or $18 million in total net dividends.

As to the running question of whether SMRT will be taking over the loss-making North-East MRT Line (NEL) being operated by rival transport group ComfortDelgro, Ms Saw said 'no offer is on the table'.

'It will be good in the long term to have one operator for efficiency,' she said. 'But there is no reason to do anything to dilute shareholder value.'

She estimated that NEL is losing $20 million annually based on its current monthly ridership of below 200,000.

Looking ahead, SMRT expects fare revenue to remain stable in Q3, with lower profit due to the absence of write-backs on retirement benefits, and higher repair and maintenance costs.

Non-fare sectors are also likely to underpin revenue growth in the second half as the renovations of 12 stations are completed from December onwards. A $3 million increase in rental income is forecast for the second half, with a $10 million rise, or 15 per cent, for the whole of the next financial year.

Copyright © 2004 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved.

[babystan03]

Nov 1, 2004
Man falls on MRT tracks

A THAI national in his mid-30s was injured on Saturday when he fell onto the MRT tracks at Jurong East station.

The man fell into the path of a west-bound train at about 2.30 pm, forcing the driver to apply the emergency brakes.

It is not clear if the train hit the man, but he subsequently landed on the slip road habout 7m below. The man suffered head injuries but was conscious after the fall. He was taken to the National University Hospital.

West-bound services were delayed for about 15-20 minutes, said an SMRT spokesman when contacted yesterday. Police are investigating.

Copyright © 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

[eyetoeye]

Originally Posted by RafflesCity

even if we wanted to have such a spontaneous event on our public transport, you will always have anal members writing in to complain that they will be late or that the transport isnt performing - a waste of taxpayers money, or that it will mess up the spick and span train or be a hindrance to safety...

Singaporeans as a whole don't seem to know just exactly what it is they want.....

[RafflesCity]

^

oh I read an interesting paragraph in a philosophical manner that said Singapore is made up of dreams where every night minds are dreaming of different places...something like that

[eyetoeye]

Highly agreeable.... that's why it's so hard for the government to get things done, because, more so here than anywhere else, everyone just has different things on his mind! Just read the forum pages and online bulletin boards(such as this) everyday and already you get a good idea of how utterly messed up local opinions are....

[RafflesCity]

but diversity of opinions is refreshing, better than everyone having the herd-mentality dont u think?

[eyetoeye]

Definately, but when the diversity becomes - erm -diverse, it can equate to quite a bit of inefficiency and uneffectiveness... And with a government that tries to be extremely pragmatic aabout everything, it makes things even harder to get done.... Haha. Maybe Singaporeans just need an outlet...

[RafflesCity]

so u do agree that some things are just too idealistic and that we do need a compromise

[babystan03]

This story was printed from TODAYonline

Service timings of Bukit Panjang LRT trains will be monitored closely

Weekend • November 6, 2004

I refer to the letter, "Swift action needed to save ill-fated LRT" (Oct 28) and thank Mr Heng Cho Choon for his feedback.

Based on passenger demand patterns, services A and B of the Bukit Panjang LRT (BPLRT) system are scheduled to operate every two to five minutes during peak hours, and three to seven minutes during off-peak hours.

Service C, which provides a connection to Ten Mile Junction, runs every 30 minutes from 9.30am to 11pm daily.

Passengers may refer to the electronic Passenger Information System (PIS) at the concourse and platform for arrival timings.

We are pleased to report that for the first nine months of this year, total train delay did not exceed 3.6 minutes per day.

BPLRT's system service availability was 99.86 per cent, exceeding the 99.7 per cent standard set by the Land Transport Authority (LTA).

Nevertheless, we will monitor the service timings of the trains closely, and will review the frequency to match passenger demand.

For information on the trains' direction of travel, passengers can refer to the route maps and PIS located at the concourse and platform areas, or to the station announcements and LED screens in the trains.

Passengers who need guidance on how to get to their destinations can contact BPLRT's Operations Control Centre staff through the intercom system.

Our Customer Service Executives, who are deployed to move around the stations, will also be pleased to assist passengers.

Every station within the BPLRT is equipped with a lift to cater to the elderly, wheelchair-bound or infirm passengers.

We seek the cooperation of able-bodied passengers to be considerate towards them, and use the staircase where necessary.

We would appreciate it if Mr Heng could contact us at SMRT Hotline: 1800 336 8900 or email at corpcomms@smrt.com.sg so that we can provide further assistance.

Copyright MediaCorp Press Ltd. All rights reserved.

[huaiwei]

Nov 4, 2004
DEATH AT MRT STATION
Woman jumped after bid to kill herself a day before

THE first of three inquiries into the deaths of three people who were hit by MRT trains this year began yesterday with the case of a woman who flung herself in front of an oncoming train at Bukit Batok station in August.

Madam Loh Suan Choo, 50, died from multiple injuries after she was hit by the train on Aug 31.

One witness, caterer Siti Aminah Rasid, 40, told a district court that Madam Loh ran and threw herself off the platform.

The woman, who ran a coffee shop with her husband, Mr Kok Sin Kwee, 52, had also attempted suicide the day before, the court heard.

Police staff sergeant Norazmin Yap Amran told State Coroner Malcolm Tan yesterday that on Aug 30, Madam Loh tried to 'kill herself by dashing across the road' into the path of oncoming vehicles outside Boon Keng MRT station.

The vehicles managed to stop in time and police officers at the scene found her 'hysterical and crying'. Although she did not have a history of mental illness, Madam Loh was taking sedatives, which were found on her body and her handbag on the day she died.

She was also seeing doctors for insomnia and depression.

Madam Loh had been engaged in a bitter dispute with her sister, whom she accused of stealing $700,000 from her while working as a cashier at her coffee shop during the World Cup football season two years ago.

'Her suspicions grew stronger when she thought that her sister had bought a house without taking any loan,' Staff Sgt Norazmin said.

Madam Loh and her husband reported their suspicions to the police but were unable to produce any proof.

'There was no evidence to show that her sister had taken her money at all... The amount reported was merely an estimated sum based on the business they felt they probably had during the World Cup season,' Staff Sgt Norazmin said.

Frustrated that her family members were avoiding her because of her suspicions, Madam Loh became increasingly suicidal.

Just three days before she died, she confided in her husband that she would 'rather die' so that every one would know she was telling the truth about her sister.

It was the same message Madam Loh repeated in the scribbled 54-page suicide note found in her handbag on Aug 31.

The inquiry into the death of Madam Teo Geok Buay at Redhill MRT station on Aug 31, the same day Madam Loh died, will take place today.

The inquiry into the death of Mr Goh Nai Ho at Bishan MRT station on Sept 15 will be held tomorrow.

The verdicts on all three deaths will be delivered next Tuesday.

INQUIRY INTO THREE DEATHS



• Madam Loh Suan Choo (above), 50, flung herself in front of an oncoming train at Bukit Batok station on Aug 31.

• The inquiry into the death of Madam Teo Geok Buay at Redhill MRT station on Aug 31 will take place today.

• The inquiry into the death of Mr Goh Nai Ho at Bishan MRT station on Sept 15 will be held tomorrow.