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    The BIG Breakdown or Meltdown

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    • W Offline
      Way2GO
      last edited by

      verykiasu2010:
      daisyt:

      Sorry, pardon my ignorance. I still cannot understand why public transport becomes a business n to generate good profit? Them why call PUBLIC transport?


      According to ST report, rail claw dislodge. Why does this happen? Not stated. How often they did maintenance and routine check? Why was this not spoted?

      sorry, is an honest mistake, let's move on



      ooooops, can't move on, the train got no power, spare batter / back up UPS also no maintenance ...

      Dis is a good question. Where is the backup power and emergency evacuation procedures during major breakdowns?

      daisyt, it was previously mentioned that SMRT does regular checks and operates a service train off operating hours to check n maintain d lines.
      I now wonder the regularity n quality of the checks when they fail to spot these 61 rail defects and 13 faulty trains earlier as reported here:
      http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC111219-0000048/Necessary-pain-for-commuters

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      • W Offline
        Way2GO
        last edited by

        When SMRT is not responsible for the train infrastructure,

        and the focus is on growing profits for stakeholders,
        maintenance of trains/facilities n service to commuters could hv been compromised.
        The CEO’s remarks in the aftermath of recent breakdowns r quite telling of the corporate focus of SMRT.
        To flash ‘income opportunity’ for SMRT taxis on a public bulletin board when commuters r stranded in the trains – how more insensitive n opportunistic can one stoop to?

        Public transport, water n power supplies are essential services that shd never hv corporations running them mainly for generating ever greater profits for their stakeholders at the expense of d general public. Temasek is a majority stakeholder in SMRT, Singpower and Hyflux(?).

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        • V Offline
          verykiasu2010
          last edited by

          "privatisation" without competition in the market is not privatisation


          profit maximisiation without keeping to maintenance standards is management failure

          just like an airline / airplane, compromise in safety checks and maintenance will end up paying a high cost one day, sooner or later

          obviously the SMRT’s "daily check" on the track / rail is simply going through the motion without thinking, looking at the thing with eyes shut. As Minister $$ said, such items’ wear and tear don’t happen over night. And as reported, there was no check on the slab in the last 10 years !!! If they could discover in one night so much damages, how come they did not discover them in the daily check every night for the past how many years/months?

          Those claws and power line cover damages don’t happen over night

          Since it was possible to go into their depot to deface the train, anything is possible

          It is absolute management failure

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          • W Offline
            Way2GO
            last edited by

            Chenonceau:
            It's easy to make Saw the scapegoat. She is only doing what she needs to do to turn in a PROFIT. Her remuneration is not computed against citizen satisfaction. It is computed against PROFITS. This stimulates many decisions and behaviors to MAXIMISE PROFITS.


            The real issue is that transport SHOULD NOT BE profit-making. It should be a cost-recovery model.
            I think u hit d nail on d head with ur 1st para.
            When SMRT took on a CEO who was in d retail business dealing in luxury goods but with zilch experience in a public transport, u can imagine where d focus shifted.

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            • W Offline
              Way2GO
              last edited by

              verykiasu2010:
              \"privatisation\" without competition in the market is not privatisation

              Got mah. who say don't hv. It's a duopoly with another GLC company operating d newer lines leh.
              Didn't notice after Comfort hike taxi fares, SMRT n TIBS follow suit?
              Of course hv competition lah. Don't anyhow say got no competition!
              😉 😉

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              • S Offline
                Sun_2010
                last edited by

                verykiasu2010:

                \"privatisation\" without competition in the market is not privatisation

                profit maximisiation without keeping to maintenance standards is management failure

                just like an airline / airplane, compromise in safety checks and maintenance will end up paying a high cost one day, sooner or later

                obviously the SMRT's \"daily check\" on the track / rail is simply going through the motion without thinking, looking at the thing with eyes shut. As Minister $$ said, such items' wear and tear don't happen over night. And as reported, there was no check on the slab in the last 10 years !!!! If they could discover in one night so much damages, how come they did not discover them in the daily check every night for the past how many years/months?

                Those claws and power line cover damages don't happen over night

                Since it was possible to go into their depot to deface the train, anything is possible

                It is absolute management failure


                Totally agree!!

                Where is the accountability ??

                Was it an act of nature beyond the control of SMRT?
                Was it an terroist act ?

                No it is a simple case of no proper maintenance, proper replacement plan,
                Something that is scary to think.

                The problem is that things should have been checked long before it came to this point. A maintenance failure shows a chronic problem It is a big time negligence on someone's part and its time some one took responsibility.

                \"Customer pain is necessary\"
                Why should the I the customer bear the pain when SMRT is the one at fault? I have been paying for my ticket and my taxes on time.

                \" The circle line works caused lesser maintenance\"
                So the Circle line was built at the cost of the NS - EW line?

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                • V Offline
                  verykiasu2010
                  last edited by

                  Way2GO:
                  verykiasu2010:

                  \"privatisation\" without competition in the market is not privatisation


                  Got mah. who say don't hv. It's a duopoly with another GLC company operating d newer lines leh.
                  Didn't notice after Comfort hike taxi fares, SMRT n TIBS follow suit?
                  Of course hv competition lah. Don't anyhow say got no competition!
                  😉 😉

                  I don't anyhow say got no competition.

                  I say it properly : There is no competition because there is no alternative services for the same route - be it bus or train. It is utterly wicked to remove the bus routes that run on similar routing to the MRT line, forcing MRT ridership to increase - and of course this increased in ridership of the train is not due to the management capability of SMRT (Saw Must Resign Today)

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                  • V Offline
                    verykiasu2010
                    last edited by

                    as regional president of DFS, she did not need to know what is maintenance work and maintenance budget


                    the word "maintenance budget" probably did not exist in her vocab till yesterday

                    but she ought to know this metro running under Orchard Road is not the same as the Metro used to be on Orchard Road

                    she thought she was running another Metro

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                    • 3 Offline
                      3Boys
                      last edited by

                      No, the failure of checks is pretty inexcusable.


                      But would a government-run entity do any better?

                      As I see on this forum, there is plenty of dissatisfaction with the g’ment oredi, so why does one think they would do a better job by taking over the public transport?

                      How about education? G’ment run yes? How many of you are satisfied?

                      I think this notion that all problems will be solved by turning things public is fool’s gold.

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                      • V Offline
                        verykiasu2010
                        last edited by

                        3Boys:
                        No, the failure of checks is pretty inexcusable.


                        But would a government-run entity do any better?

                        As I see on this forum, there is plenty of dissatisfaction with the g'ment oredi, so why does one think they would do a better job by taking over the public transport?

                        How about education? G'ment run yes? How many of you are satisfied?

                        I think this notion that all problems will be solved by turning things public is fool's gold.
                        agreed

                        but before MRT was corporatised-and-then-listed it was running well. presumably as a stat board, on operating-cost recovery basis, and the infrastructure cost was borne by tax payers; and there was quite a number of reports highlighting the rigorous maintenance work carried out at night. but since profit is a kpi, it ruined the whole thing but it need not be and should not have been this way

                        Telecoms, PUB, HDB, PWD, JTC, all were running well under the the various stat boards by the very efficient civil servants until they are corporatised and prices to consumers start to increase relentlessly without increase in efficiency

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