4/21/2016

SMRT – 40 recommendations to make rail network more resilient

I read this report in the media saying 40 recommendations were made by 13 experts, four of whom were foreign experts, to improve the fault prone SMRT system. This must be expected and nothing surprising. I am not too concern about the cost unless the total amount of recommendations would be equivalent to replacing everything with a brand new system. That would be much cheaper and at least last for a few good years, and brand new some more.

The 40 recommendations mean that either the system has 40 problem areas or 40 areas that were not up to specs and thus needed to be pumped up or replaced. No wonder we have so many problems in the last few years, so many areas that needed improvement. So lucky we have these experts to look into it and could rectify these 40 problematic or potentially problematic areas.

What I am trying to find out from the recommendations by the expert is a simple answer. What is the cause or causes for the recent spate of breakdowns? My thinking is very simple. If one does not know the problem, how could one solve the problem? The 40 recommendations could be totally unrelated to the cause of the problem or maybe barely related. I still think it is important to diagnose the main cause or causes of the breakdowns if a lasting solution is to be found.

If not, the money spent may be money spent for nothing, would not help in a big way to the breakdowns. Let me give a simple example on what I am trying to drive at. A patient is in the intensive watch, dying. A team of experts went in but could not find the reason for his illness. After several weeks of diagnosis they came up with a list of recommendations. The heart specialists recommended inserting 3 stents to improve his blood flow and pressure. The kidney specialist recommended changing one kidney, the blood specialist wanted a complete blood transfusion, the knee specialist wanted to replace his knee caps, the spinal cord specialist wanted to insert a few steel discs to straighten his backbone and posture….and many other good recommendations. The critically ill patient would have practically a new body with many new parts. But the main cause or causes of his illness is still unknown.

After all the major operations, the patient remains in the intensive care unit, still in the same state of comatose.  Good intention, a lot of money spent, all for nothing. This is what I am concern about.

What do you think?

44 comments:

Anonymous said...

The additional costs incurred should be clawed back from bonuses of the former handbag CEO and board of directors. They were sleeping on the job.

Virgo 49 said...


It's easy making recommendations to a faulty system when you have all the symptoms of the faults lay in front of you.

Any Manager/Engineer who has had experience in his own field can or will make recommendations that he thinks will rectify the faults.

But this may be on a trial or hopefully it will works basis.

One fault can lead to another even in an old car engine. No proper maintenance in the past will only caused other faults to occur even the other part is renew.

So don't not based too much hope that it will as good as new.

All experts come all the way down to assess will not want to go home empty handed.

So each will recommend their expertise and products to worth the while.

This is business acemen no need to learn from the books.

Think the COE of the rail service is up.

Must renew another five years without PARF value or need to scrap and have a new Ferrari.

Anonymous said...


Ha ha ha.........

It is not because I like to pour cold water early in the morning.

Even with all the 40 recommendations implemented, I still do not have the confident that rail network will be ok.

At most from the "ICU" (INTENSIVE CARE UNIT) to "HDU" (HIGH DEPENDENCE UNIT).

Will the commuters be guaranteed that if all the 40 recommendations were implemented, the rail system would be breakdown-free?

Can guaranteed?

We shall see.

Cheers.




agongkia said...

What is money to Singapo?
Change the whole train system.
Brand new rail,train etc.

Anonymous said...

Changing the whole system?

With the kind of materials used that looked so nice and pleasing but of poor quality, the reliance on electronis chips of short and unreliable life-span, wirings that are not made to withstand stress and strain and water corrosion, changing the whole system will not do any good. The same affliction will come into play and the same problems will surface and remain after that.

Save our breath and time thinking about it. There is nothing we can do about it.

Anonymous said...


what our rail system is famous for is............

here breakdowns, there breakdowns, top breakdowns, bottom breakdowns, everywhere breakdowns.........

breakdowns breakdowns breakdowns.....used to it.....new normal....no choice......

sad.........

Anonymous said...

"If one does not know the problem, how could one solve the problem? The 40 recommendations could be totally unrelated to the cause of the problem or maybe barely related. I still think it is important to diagnose the main cause or causes of the breakdowns if a lasting solution is to be found."

You will get another 40 more recommendation if you pay them double

Anonymous said...

Sinkies fucking deserve the govt (and by extension whatever public services) they elected. I don't wanna hear anymore fucking complains.

Anonymous said...

Because your intelligentsia is a bunch of morons

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

Here cometh another drawn-out, cluster fuck.

The sg.gov is famed for its effectiveness and efficiency, thus they will leave no stone unturned to find a solution and throw as much money as required to solve the issue.

Inconveniencing commuters is going to occur no matter what course of action is adopted. So the public will just have to eat it, too fucking bad chaps. Perhaps its time to build more above ground light rail systems. The present MRT system FAILS in concept because there is little or no REDUNDANCY to accommodate service disruptions. The best they can do is run "shuttle bus" services.

However all is not lost. At least the forward-thinking and efficient sg.gov is keeping up with the times.

So if you are a Singaporean who likes "free stuff", get your greedy asses over to the specific locations where MoT is conducting its "trials" (experiments on humans).

The robots are already here. They are "babies" at the moment, but they will grow up to be awesome Singapore robots. Like typically profit-focused Singaporeans, the robot creators have brought the cost down which means it makes the nascent industry a potential "money printing machine" for Singapore.

Majulah, motherfuckers...

Anonymous said...

If you have good people, you get good results
If you have bad people, you get bad results

Similarly, constant breakdowns or problems means you have bad and incompetent people. What do you expect? Sinkies lah

Anonymous said...

Money buys monkeys

Anonymous said...

The monkeys are so happy with the 40 recommendations without thinking if they are relevant or not.

Astonishingly foolish!

Anonymous said...

Do your maths. No problems how to make money? No money how to make problems? You are paid to create problems Duh... LoL

Anonymous said...

If things are made to last, how can the makers make money and survive?

I used to buy fridges, washing machines and other equipments of the old technology that can last for a decade or longer. Those manufacturers could not survive because their products are made to last too long.

Nowadays those products made using the latest technology and electronics last maybe 3 to 5 years at most. And the people who made those things are doing very well, because their products never last and people just keep changing. It is the new norm.

So, can we seriously expect our rail system to get better? No way. It will only get worse. And once the Government managed to sell this koyok, the people will slowly accept the inevitable. Just like the floods, CPF policies and the political system.

Anonymous said...

As long as the opposition is not ready to be govt, don't say 40, even 100 recommendations by foreign experts MRT can also afford to implement.

Anonymous said...

Personally, I am very comfortable with the idea of redbean being a Cabinet Minister.
- very good perspective ... very good questions.
..............................

Hepatitis C outbreak in public hospitals
Alarming rise in incidents of dengue fever
Frequent MRT breakdowns
Security breaches
and etc.

Proposed 40 recommendations from redbean's followers that can fix all types of problems in Singapore (a single report for all problems and occasions)

1. We must be vigilant.
2. We must not be complacent.
3. We must hire the best people to lead (fill in the organization's name)

4. we need to encourage a learning culture to make our hospitals/trains/army/etc. as safe as possible for the patients/passengers/NS boys/etc.

5. We must do our own check.
The integrity of our Ministers/MPs/CEOs/Generals/Admirals/police. That’s where the check comes from. … not this seductive lie of check and balance.

6. We make sure that the whole system is of a high standard.
Every school/hospital/train/bus/Member of Parliament/etc is a good school/hospital/train/bus/MP etc.

7. Public housing/education/public transport/hospitals will always be affordable … We are confident because we are the ones who set the price for HDB flats/schools/public transport/hospitals.


Why don't you guys read the Straits Times and help me
I'm very sure you can add to the list.

Anonymous said...

Change the whole system.
But no need to change the trains.

Replace the SMRT board and management.
Change the government.

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

@ 1113:

“In three years, every product my company makes will be obsolete."---Bill Gates.

We live in a time where technological change is rapid. "Move Fast, Break Stuff" happens everyday. Your 3-4 year old cell phone running iOS 6 or Android KitKat is now a dinosaur. Back then I paid good money for a 12 Megapixel camera. Now budget cell phones have 13 MP full HD, and the more expensive ones shoot 4k without even a hint of lag.

The ageing rail system will be augmented by autonomous cars and other tech which hasn't even been invented yet. In the meantime, the old N-S MRT line will continue to suck...too bad. Just "man-up" and take it lah. Dun be a pussy. 😂

Anonymous said...

Change the government.
Anon 11:21 am

Change to which party to be govt? SDP?

Anonymous said...

I think Redbean is MRT CEO material. In fact even PM material, based on the articles he wrote.

It is just that those who have authority to make MRT CEO appointment do not think so.

And too bad, RB was not invited to be PAP candidate or wanted to be opposition candidate, so he cannot even be elected as MP, let alone be PM.

Chua Chin Leng aka redbean said...

Good branded companies did not make their goods to fall apart after a few years. Many of these products are very good and can last for many years. The handphones you are using can last for more than 10 years quite easily. Many old uncles are still using the first generation handphones. They work.

The marketing and selling of these products are not to replace them because they broke down but changing technology and designs. That is the marketing trick they are using for people to discard a good working product for something new. Better, nicer, more features and of course new technology.

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

Alamak, all you sad motherfuckers only present your negative view of Singapore. You highlight all the so-called "bad stuff", yet when I go out there, no one else gives a flying shit. People just conduct their lives normally in the most quotidian day-to-day ways.

It seems I am one of the few who highlights the AWESOMENESS of Singapore and it massive amounts ROCKITUDE. I used to think HK kicked Singapore's ass---and in some ways it still does. But last time I was there, I could hardly fucking breathe because of the shit-quality air.

OK, OK, to be fair...last 2 days you can smell The Haze in the Singapore air. But it is still nowhere as bad as HK on a "good day".

There is no "perfect" Utopian place. Every cuntry and cities has pluses and minuses. IMO, the really BIG "pluses" far outweigh the niggling annoying little "minuses" of Singapore.

If you look at Singapore as a HOTEL, I guarantee you, you'll be a much calmer and happier person. If you choose to get embroiled in the local non-achieving, time-wasting bullshit, then you are going to decrease your quality of life, and when you open your mouth and engage in conversation, you will LOWER your perceived "social value". In Singapore culture "doing well" adds to your social value.

Meritocratic Singaporeans have no time for losers. Too bad if that just hurt your feelings.

Virgo 49 said...


Hi Anon.11.21

Remember last time got what those upgrading of old HDB flats that inconvenient the residents for years and conned in paying three quarters of the upgrading costs.

This Philip Yeo said stupid. Might as SERs, much easier and brand new for fresh and less costly maintaince.

Now they stopped and have SERs. Those poor jokers paying a limb and arm just for another small toilet or wadh area and subsidising the HDB for the general landscape which is not theirs.
Even the upgraded flats are not theirs.

The Rail system as what you said must be made anew and properly maintain by the manufacturer agents rather than their slip slod foreign labourers and half past six engineers.

But a Ferrari got to be maintained by the Manufacturer's Agent rather than at small roadside motor shop.

Anonymous said...

Knn, matilar, u are still good posting valid comments. As earlier poster suggested, do cease the incest

Anonymous said...

I have ever watched them work. They think you are a layman who no nuts easy to bluff. So one time, a big time landowner, hired an outside consultant, a doctorate engineer, led by a group of their graduate officers, including technical or engineering officers, and managers to solve a "noise" problem. Cut the long story short, the doctorate consultant recommended a somewhat complex solution, which obviously meant to bleed the arrogant Land owner, approved by their project team of graduate officers( they were too in awe and stupid to smell a rat or simply bochup).

Meanwhile, which I don't gain anything for being a smarty pant, saw through the ahem... doctorate consultant BS(technical report) and on the side, got their contractor to test out my recommendation(my simple layman gut solution) . Obviously you know where this is heading to. The problem was resolved and with no additional cost(saved the arrogant big time Sin land owner thousands of dollars) .

Moral of the story? They still fuck with me, with the blessings of govt agencies(there were many other shifty problems the Sin land owner refuse to honor and matter escalated) and mind is not an uncommon problem, swept under the dirty carpet and story to be retold to great great grand children. lol

Anonymous said...

RB: i understood what u are driving at. Recommendations are paper work. U doubted all the recommendations are related to problems in the field. I fully agree with u. Experts walking around, asking questions from staff, can only come out with the perceived problems in experts minds. From perceived problems, they recommended solutions. These solutions may not match with the field problems.
eg safety measures, 2 malay workers killed by a moving train at 60mph. There will draw at least 10 recommendations from experts. Will there be repeat of similar death? Public shd know, the malay workers are not the first case of working staff died on duty site due to moving train crashing on them.

The system will be trust worthy if there is a team of expert doing audit on all the loopholes they can find, and follow up with subsequent audit to ensure measures are taken place. Will the govt have the political will to do such thing? What if the subsequent audit find more problems than the first audit?

Rem the ex minister Lui did a field audit and found staff using plastic strings to tie horse shoes on track? Only site regular check can see such problem: lapses on maintenance, could be by subcontractors used by mrt company.
Remember: in singapore, the hiring of foreigners to do the jobs are priority, the breakdowns causing low productivity are also priority, may be. But hiring foreigners is a policy govt must do as global city. So breaking down is just a normal trend. Just like export must go down each month, last by 15.6%, because, goods must be made by foreigners to ensure "quality" first. No want buys the chap chai png, cooked by foreigners raw hands. That is the real problem. There are no good born engineers and technicians to do the field work after years of foreigner first policy. Expert recommendations are just bluffing public to be confident on mrt. Breakdowns will continue with the foreigners hiring and "foreigner sub con" policy.

Anonymous said...

Moral of the story? Hit the right buttons and the true blue made in Sin workers will surface. Basically, they are full of s h I t

Anonymous said...

This the the list of SMRT Senior Management.
- full of Vice Presidents and Directors

http://www.smrt.com.sg/Corporate/Group-Senior-Management

What is missing?
- Director of Preventive Maintenance
- Director of Safety

Is this relevant?

Anonymous said...

/// Rem the ex minister Lui did a field audit and found staff using plastic strings to tie horse shoes on track? Only site regular check can see such problem: lapses on maintenance, could be by subcontractors used by mrt company. ///

April 21, 2016 12:21 pm

The elephant in the room.
Why is the Transport Minister (salary paid by taxpayers) doing a field inspection on a private train company?
- what is the SMRT CEO doing?

Anonymous said...

If you are smart, you would smell the stench but you are stupid so deserve to sink

Anonymous said...

I agree with RB. The important thing is to find the root cause. We were thought in school and while working. Wonder if these wise men actually go to school at all. Perhaps, they do not need to follow aged old principles as they are highly sought after with millions as consultation fee.

The way I see they have no idea what caused the stoppage and are recommending all possible solutions to cover all angles and hopefully one will strike.

Like that many of us can also be the consultants liou.

Anonymous said...

What is missing?
- Director of Preventive Maintenance
- Director of Safety
Anon 12:27 pm

Not missing, but down the line.

Anyway, whether missing or down the line, PAP can still win the next election. And with that, the list of SMRT Senior Management can remain.

Virgo 49 said...

Just saw today Shit Times reporting that more PMETs losing more jobs than foreigners.

And they have the cheek to publish thus.

Why not retaining locals in line of priority instead of foreigners??

Only in sinking land called Singapore, that these happened?

The PAP must tell the World to follow the example as a magnanimous government in saving the world except its own citizens.

Bravo, bravo.

In neighbouring countries, they were be thrown rotten eggs and lunched.

Well done sinkies to be as Irvin Seah becoming Uber drivers.

That's pushes the COEs up. Another government ploy of further revenue.

Anonymous said...


to be asia no.1 transport hub

we MUST aimed for breakdown-FREE for our mrt

not just breakdown-TOROLENCE for our mrt

加油! 加油! 加油!

b said...

Just give each family a free electric driverless car. Can fetch kids to/from school and then fetch parents to/from work. No more trains, buses, taxis and other smelly cars. Thats is the smart city I am after.

b said...

I think all those vehicles added together is much more than the number of household. Thus we can cut pollution and ease space.

Anonymous said...

Why are Sinkies so cynical of the Authority ?

Can Sinkies prove that they are better than the Elites and Leaders ?

Did You see, or rather watch the pompous panel and participants having conversations about choosing president? The decorum of the discussions and seriousness of the many professors, top professional and academic spending their valuable time over a president not unlike a puppet.
You think those people, some holding international representation and highest office, are jokers ?

The Authority told SMRT to look into the safety aspects after staff were killed as though safety was an afterthought that never crossed their minds before accidents happened.

The CEO gave press release before he got all the facts about the Accident and made claims that all safrty procedures were adhered to; only to be found that it was not so. What can the public do about inaccurate or misleading informations.
What or how the one who gave out the wrong information was dealt with ?

What did the ministers say about the accidents involving deaths of SMRT Staff, NS Enlistees Hospital Patients and Students etc?

Was there hara-kiri, bowel dismember or even just resignation by any ministers ?

Anonymous said...

When the top beam is crooked, all the beams below are crooked.
When clowns are in charged, they would make others look and behave like clowns.
So pathetic, the pompous circle trying so hard to look intelligent.
At the end of the day they would have their names and reputations stained.

Anonymous said...

Some 70% of Sinkies are happy with
whatever clown, actor and actress in the cabinet.

One more will be welcomed into Bukit
Batok very soon.

Sinkies 不见棺材不流泪。
There may come a time
Sinkies have to borrow to
buy coffin for their kins.

Anonymous said...

After reading so many comments, it appeared everyboLEE seemed none the wiser how to solve the myriad problems in SINKIELAND that had surfaced and multiplied immenseLEE in the past 30 years since 1985 ( after the old guards such as GKS, TCC retired "prematurely" )?

Whoever succeed a broken and collapsed system down the road need to rebuild many things in sinkieland?

The decline in SINKIELAND is UNDENIABLE and it is manifested in so many aspects in daily lives as well milestones headlines numbers and news?

Fiscal and monetary policies that sinkieland and sinkies are seeing are short term measures to "cure a sick" economy and it is akin to curing a medical sickness say "headache"?

It CANNOT be a long term and permanent solution by taking painkillers indefinitely 365 days a year for the next 50 years, can it?

Many supply-side policies in the past 30 years since 1985 ALSO had "mostly failed" otherwise the garment and Lim Boon Heng need not have shed "crocodile tears" to explain their decision to ply the vice trade ( gambling and casinos ) for sinkieland to survive especially since 2005?

When the global competition was not so cut throat in the mid 2000s and the garment needed to dabble in vices to survive, what more now?

Gone case le?

This mati guy keep repeating that this sinkieland hotel rocks but for how long more and is it really the case underneath "the surface"?

When NODX of sinkieland can keep plunging by as much as double digits in the recent past, what happened during lao goa's watch MUST come into view?

Lao goa's team was basically "helpless and hapless" ( though they claimed super talent millions remunerations? ) in the late 90s and early 2000s to restructure and turn the economy around?

So in the mid 2000s came the idea of vices as the last bastion of ( economic ) defence?

Now what?

Gambling has reached the point of Diminishing returns and more casinos won't help much?

Geylang is already as "loose" as an overused and over-worn under-wear can get?

The rubber elasticity very "leng" liao?

Any time the underwear can slip down?

So if Geylang is max-ed out, what else to sell?

Well, there is still one last, last bastion ( of defence ) before the sampan finally disappears from the surface of the sea?

Is it not there is one CHEE BY-election coming in some place of some similar name like BUTTOCK?

CHEE BY-ERECTION IN BUTTOCK?

Bingo?

Next vice to save a leaking sampan before it goes down to the bottom of the ocean?

AnyboLEE any guess?

Pls kee chiu?

Ⓜatilah $ingapura⚠️ said...

@ "macro guy" 739:

>> This mati guy keep repeating that this sinkieland hotel rocks but for how long more and is it really the case underneath "the surface"? <<

For "how long" is irrelevant. In the long term we are all dead ;-) ...i.e. on a long enough timeline, the survival rate of everyone drops to zero (thanks Zero Hedge!)

Singapore rocks as long as you treat the thing as a "HOTEL" and all the cultural nonsense a series of "GAMES".

I don't get the "under the surface" stuff...I think it is an illusion. In Singapore, everything is more or less out in the open: the govt controls the whole island, with a velvet-gloved iron fist they deem as a "light touch" 😂🔨🔨. They make it patently clear what you can do and what you cannot. End of story.

The fact that you can go to Geylang and bang your balls flat, over and over again is because the govt. allows it and controls virtually every cum-shot in every Lorong.

Fuck the long term! The party is kicking right now.👯🍻 You can do a different AWESOME thing everyday in Singapore. When you get tired, just hop on one of the hundreds of budget flights and you can be somewhere else getting your rocks off.

Got hotel? Got room service?

Anonymous said...

your conclusion is inaccurate hence you are not anywhere closer to the exit.

Is Chee bye itchy therefore erected cock goes for the butt fuck. and you are the butt