The BIG Breakdown or Meltdown
-
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(?). -
"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 $$ said, such items’ wear and tear don’t happen over night. And as reported, there was no check on the slab in the last 10 years !!! If they could discover in one night so much damages, how come they did not discover them in the daily check every night for the past how many years/months?
Those claws and power line cover damages don’t happen over night
Since it was possible to go into their depot to deface the train, anything is possible
It is absolute management failure -
Chenonceau:
I think u hit d nail on d head with ur 1st para.It's easy to make Saw the scapegoat. She is only doing what she needs to do to turn in a PROFIT. Her remuneration is not computed against citizen satisfaction. It is computed against PROFITS. This stimulates many decisions and behaviors to MAXIMISE PROFITS.
The real issue is that transport SHOULD NOT BE profit-making. It should be a cost-recovery model.
When SMRT took on a CEO who was in d retail business dealing in luxury goods but with zilch experience in a public transport, u can imagine where d focus shifted. -
verykiasu2010:
\"privatisation\" without competition in the market is not privatisation
Got mah. who say don't hv. It's a duopoly with another GLC company operating d newer lines leh.
Didn't notice after Comfort hike taxi fares, SMRT n TIBS follow suit?
Of course hv competition lah. Don't anyhow say got no competition!
-
verykiasu2010:
\"privatisation\" without competition in the market is not privatisation
profit maximisiation without keeping to maintenance standards is management failure
just like an airline / airplane, compromise in safety checks and maintenance will end up paying a high cost one day, sooner or later
obviously the SMRT's \"daily check\" on the track / rail is simply going through the motion without thinking, looking at the thing with eyes shut. As Minister $$ 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? -
Way2GO:
I don't anyhow say got no competition.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 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) -
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 -
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. -
3Boys:
agreedNo, 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.
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 -
verykiasu2010:
3boys, for all intents n purposes, d gahmen maintains a strong hand in running of SMRT n d various GLCs dat VK2010 mentioned.
agreed3Boys:
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.
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
He makes a valid point. Things haven't been d same since d pressure is on d GLCs to keep generating more profits.
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