MRT breakdown COI: Day 15

More measures to help commuters in rail breakdown

Auto refunds, leaflets and signs among actions being taken

By Christopher Tan, The Straits Times, 8 May 2012

TRAIN operator SMRT, together with the Land Transport Authority (LTA), will roll out a slew of measures to help commuters inconvenienced by rail breakdowns.

They include:

- An automatic refund mechanism that credits back fares of affected commuters the next time they travel; 

- LCD screens that commuters can refer to for alternative travel information; 

- Permanent bus bridging signboards that tell commuters exactly where to go; 

- Leaflets on what to do during a train disruption; 

- A pull-down projector screen to keep commuters updated when a disruption or delay occurs.

All of the above - which are either being rolled out or piloted - are expected to be available at all MRT stations except for the LCD screens, which will be at interchange stations.

SMRT deputy director of station operations Teo Wee Kiat revealed this yesterday during a lengthy cross examination by the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) in the fourth week of the Committee of Inquiry set up to look into the two train disruptions last December.

Mr Teo said that the automatic fare refund system was being worked on by the LTA. The authority, which is the rail regulator here, does not yet have details of the system.

Meanwhile, SMRT has put up signs at its train stations to inform passengers that they can approach the company for refunds within 14 days of a disruption - up from three days previously.

Mr Teo also said SMRT is looking to more than treble its customer service team to 700 members from the current 190. These are regular SMRT employees.

'This will allow us to manage an incident as big as the Dec 15 one, if not bigger,' he said.

The breakdown on the North-South line on Dec 15 affected 127,000 commuters in the evening peak, while another disruption two days later inconvenienced 94,000.

The two incidents triggered a government-appointed Committee of Inquiry headed by Chief District Judge Tan Siong Thye and assisted by director of Prisons Service Soh Wai Wah and Professor Lim Mong King from the School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering at Nanyang Technological University.

Mr Teo revealed that the disruption leaflet - which will include taxi call-booking numbers - was conceptualised last October, but took some time getting printed.

He also said 'the authorities were not in favour' of permanent bus bridging signboards 'because it gives the impression that disruptions are very regular'. Nonetheless, SMRT will put them up.

The inquiry dwelt on bus bridging, specifically on how many buses can be deployed and how fast. Mr Teo revealed that when SMRT approached fellow transport operator SBS Transit to help with bus bridging on Dec 15, it was turned down.

It then called on private bus operators. Mr Teo explained repeatedly that as a small bus operator, SMRT had limited means to provide bus bridging. He said its fleet made up only 25 per cent of the 4,000 public buses here, and that most of its buses plied the northern region.

The inquiry heard two weeks ago that buses sent to ferry passengers stranded by the Dec 15 incident arrived two hours later.

Yesterday, Judge Tan asked Mr Teo whether there was a set timeframe for when buses are required to arrive at affected stations.

Mr Teo said there was no set timeframe, but 'the principle is to deploy as fast as possible'. He explained that traffic conditions played a part in how fast buses can arrive, too.

To this, deputy chief counsel of the AGC, Ms Hoo Sheau Peng, pointed out that a code of practice issued by the LTA stipulated that buses should arrive within 30 minutes upon activation of bus bridging.

Asked if drivers deployed for bus bridging were familiar with routes, Mr Teo said this was also a challenge SMRT was working to overcome.

He said the company was trying to expand its team of guides to help drivers unfamiliar with routes, and also to explore technological solutions such as navigation sets.

While bus rides for commuters affected by a rail disruption are free of charge, rides on an alternative rail line that is still running are not. Judge Tan asked why but Mr Teo could not give a direct answer.

SMRT director of train operations Shahrin Abdol Salam, who took the stand before Mr Teo yesterday, revealed new measures to help passengers on stranded trains.

He said the detrainment - a term for getting commuters off a stranded train - will be activated within 30 minutes of a breakdown, down from 45 minutes previously.

He also said the detrainment ramp of a train doubled up as a door that could be slid open sideways. He said the train officer will now be empowered to open this door to improve ventilation - on top of emergency ventilation fans on board.

Related

MRT breakdown chaos, COI-Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7,Day 8,Day 9, Day 10, Day 11, Day 12, Day 13, Day 14