Rail operators to prioritise alerting commuters at affected stations for minor MRT delays: LTA
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An SMRT employee directing people at Paya Lebar station on Dec 2.
ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY
Follow topic:
- SMRT and SBS Transit will focus on localised communication at stations for MRT delays under 30 minutes.
- This change follows feedback that generic travel time updates don't accurately reflect disruption impact.
- LTA and operators also plan to set out more accurate journey time info online.
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SINGAPORE – Rail operators SMRT and SBS Transit will prioritise communications for minor MRT delays to passengers who are directly affected at stations, said the Land Transport Authority (LTA).
Responding to queries from The Straits Times, LTA said late on Dec 3 that the operators will “prioritise localised communications” for commuters, especially those directly affected at the stations by minor delays.
These are delays involving a shorter stretch of the rail network and where service disruptions are expected to last less than 30 minutes.
The authority said this change is in response to feedback that communicating the maximum additional travel time does not accurately reflect the impact of disruptions on individual passengers, especially those who are unlikely to be affected but would make unnecessary or costly detours if train services resumed on time.
LTA’s comments came after some passengers expressed frustration at the absence of updates on SMRT’s social media channels on the Thomson-East Coast Line on Nov 18
LTA said this new approach follows advice from a rail reliability task force.
The task force was set up in September after at least 15 delays and interruptions across the MRT and LRT networks between July and September. It has been given the task of finding immediate solutions to improve rail reliability and responses to service disruptions
LTA said that together with the rail operators, it also intends to provide more accurate information online regarding additional journey time during delays, based on commuters’ specific locations and destinations, rather than offering a generic advisory on maximum travel time.
This is to enable journey planning.
On Sept 22, Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow said in Parliament that the task force will focus on reviewing service recovery processes to support passengers caught in train disruptions.
He noted that passengers should be able to get information on alternative travel routes and additional travel time specific to their locations from a centralised source.
Mr Siow suggested the possibility of hosting this information on a single app, so passengers know exactly where to look during a stressful disruption.
