Reader Response Draft 1

In the news release “Trains on the north-south and east-west line safe for service”, Land Transport Authority (LTA) (2016) approaches some of the problems regarding trains that have been the topic of current media and online dialogue. The website states that the three main problems are hairline cracks, cover of the battery housing and improper installation of the draughtscreen. LTA comments that although hairline cracks are found on the surface of “car-body bolster”, it is still reliable for service. It also discovers battery and draughtscreen problems which are resolve by the manufacturer promptly. LTA assures that periodic inspections will be conducted to ensure commuters’ safety. LTA also states that rectifications of 5 out of 26 trains have been completed and the process will quicken due to arrival of new trains. Despite the problems that LTA have encounter, I believe that the manufacturer has resolved the problems before any commencement of train service so that commuters can travel safely. However, some part of the article is not fully revealed. I believe that profit is on top of everything, LTA should pay more attention on the list of contractors tendering for this project, also doing test and trial for a period of time before awarding contracts to the winning bidder. 

Mass Rapid Transport (MRT) is one of the main transport system in Singapore, thus it is important to make sure that trains are efficient and safe for commuters. Due to the increasing population in Singapore, new trains were bought.

The article mentions that during inspection, hairline cracks on the surface of car-body bolster are found due to localised impurity during manufacturing process by Longkou chonglin. The article address that the problem occurs is because of the manufacturing process. It basically just points out that the problem lies with the manufacturer rather than LTA’s decision making on who to award for this tender. Even though the manufacturer has reacted to the situation promptly, the problems cause will need significant amount of time to rectify, slowing down the improvement of the train system.

The hairline cracks are not the only issue, during September 2011 the trains stopped operating due to faulty current collector device. This causes disruption along the north-south line affecting thousands of commuters.

After news of the train defects were published, LTA still insist on awarding the contract to Kawasaki Heavy industries and CSR Sifang. In total the Kawasaki-Sifang consortium won a $749 million tender in 2014 to supply 91 four-car trains for the upcoming Thomson-East Coast line.

In conclusion, I believe that LTA should take all factors into consideration before awarding contracts, to ensure that commuters have a safe and efficient railway system.

Reference: 

The Straits Time News. (2016). Retrieved, September 25, 2016, from

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/new-mrt-trains-from-china-firm-to-have-key-part-made-in-japan

Land Transport Authority News. (2016). Retrieved, September 20, 2016, from https://www.lta.gov.sg/apps/news/page.aspx?c=2&id=0f8b1220-0289-4bef-99c9-b2455f17a66c#_ftn1