New SMRT team to update commuters
It will ensure better communication during disruptions
By Royston Sim, The Straits Times, 5 May 2012
RAIL operator SMRT has formed a team of officers whose primary role is to relay information to commuters, particularly during service disruptions.
Their job is to keep commuters updated with information from the Operations Control Centre (OCC), the Committee of Inquiry (COI) heard yesterday.
During the two major train service disruptions last December, communications was flagged as an area that needed improvement; many commuters had complained about being left in the dark about what was happening.
SMRT director of train operations Shahrin Abdol Salam, 38, was one of three employees to testify yesterday, the 14th day of the inquiry. Spending the afternoon on the stand, he also took questions on his role in the Rail Incident Management Plan (Rimp), detrainment procedures and the OCC.
He said that having a separate team of train-service controllers whose job is to relay information to stranded commuters would ensure existing controllers for the North-South and East-West lines would not have too much on their plate.
The new team of controllers will have a dedicated officer manning a public announcement console in the OCC during revenue service hours.
Mr Shahrin also disclosed the following improvements put in place since December:
- Evacuation via tracks within 30 minutes: Previously, if a train stalled, an attempt would be made to use another train to push it to the nearest station, where commuters would alight. Track evacuation was a last resort.
Now, commuters will be evacuated via the tracks to cut down the time spent on a stalled train, which was an issue that arose in the December incidents.
- A guide has been created for train officers to improve their announcements to commuters.
- The OCC manager is now authorised to activate the Rimp without first seeking a go-ahead from higher management.
In response to queries from Deputy Chief Counsel Hoo Sheau Peng, Mr Shahrin disclosed another improvement still in the works.
This is an upgrade of the SMRT's Urgent Messaging System, through which the OCC gives updates in the form of text messages to staff in the passenger service centres.
Mr Shahrin said SMRT plans to enhance the clarity of these messages by adding graphics which will show, for example, where trains will turn around during a disruption.
On manpower in the OCCs, Ms Hoo asked if it was enough to have four train-service controllers on duty for the North-South and East-West lines at any one time.
Referring to the fact that there are no additional consoles for the officers beyond the four available, Mr Shahrin replied: 'If you have an Xbox machine with two controllers, having three players doesn't help.'
Earlier yesterday, SMRT projects and technology department fellow Ng Peng Hoe explained why the current collector shoes on a train that stalled on Dec 15 did not break off as they were supposed to.
He said the weak link on the current collector device had broken off as expected, but a copper conductor strip still tethered the shoe to the device.
Asked if the emergency battery on trains should be extended to last beyond 45 minutes, he said there was no good reason for this as commuters are unlikely to stay on the trains beyond that time.
Committee member Professor Lim Mong King asked him why SMRT had minimal involvement in the purchase of new trains, given that it operates them.
Mr Ng said the Land Transport Authority was in charge of buying trains and had imposed limitations on SMRT's involvement.
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