SHORTER WAITING TIMES FOR TRAIN PASSENGERS
NEWS COVERAGE
SINGAPORE — Commuters can expect shorter waiting times for trains this year, with the two public transport operators moving to increase the weekly number of trips, especially during off-peak periods.
The move came as the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said yesterday that train service reliability improved last year, following the adoption of several measures, including the use of new technologies.
On the North-South and East West Lines (NSEWL), SMRT will be progressively adding 400 more weekly train trips — an increase of 5 per cent — by September to reduce waiting times to less than five minutes.
Other than the peak-hour periods of 7am to 9am and 6pm to 8pm, when trains take about two minutes to arrive, commuters currently have to wait seven minutes.
SMRT has already added about 200 more weekly train trips to the Circle Line since Jan 1, while another 150 will be added next month to reduce waiting times to six minutes or less.
On the North-East Line (NEL), which is managed by SBS Transit (SBST), 400 off-peak weekly train trips — an increase of 13 per cent — have been added this month, which means a three- to five-minute wait for trains.
Meanwhile, LTA figures showed that the number of train delays in Singapore’s train network last year has fallen to a five-year low, although there are still some areas of concern on the NEL and Bukit Panjang LRT line.
Across the MRT network, the occurrence of delays, or incident rate, of more than five minutes for every 100,000km travelled last year was 1.18, compared to 1.49 in 2012 and 1.75 in 2011.
The incident rate involving disruptions of more than 10 minutes also fell from 0.19 in 2012 to 0.14 last year for every 100,000km of train run.
The LTA said train reliability improved last year since targeted measures to increase reliability were implemented by joint teams it had formed with SMRT and SBST.
For example, SMRT has been enhancing its preventive maintenance measures by adopting new technologies since last April.
These include the Automated Current Collector Devices Detection System, which detects flaws or missing current collector shoes — which draw power from the third rail so that trains can run — and alerts SMRT engineers so repairs can be made quickly.
On the NSEWL, the incident rate involving delays of more than five minutes fell from 1.55 in 2012 to 1.30 last year for every 100,000km run.
On the Circle Line, the incident rate for delays of more than five minutes decreased from 1.65 in 2012 to 0.85 last year for every 100,000km run.
However, on the Bukit Panjang LRT line, the incident rate for delays of above 10 minutes rose to 1.05, from 0.51 in 2012 for every 100,000km run.
On the NEL, the incident rate for delays of more than five minutes increased to 1.05, compared to 0.89 in 2012.
The LTA said the joint teams had found alternative materials for components of the train line’s overhead power system, and work had already started to replace them.
Several major disruptions that occurred on the NEL last year were due to faulty components, such as U-bolts. - By Woo Sian Boon, TodayOnline.
