In the article “TRAINS ON THE
NORTH-SOUTH AND EAST-WEST LINES SAFE FOR SERVICE”, the Land Transport Authority
(LTA, 2016) wrote that despite undergoing rectification works, the trains that
have been in the media spotlight are safe for service.
According to LTA, all new trains are tested before they are put into service. For defective trains, immediate action was taken to prevent defects from resurfacing during train operation.
Hairline cracks that were discovered during inspection were confirmed to not affect operational safety. Nevertheless, to ensure that there are sufficient trains for commuters, all affected trains were sent back, one at a time, for rectification. Stringent checks would also be performed regularly to ensure operational safety of all trains. This article was written to clarify that safety was never compromised despite having defects on the trains, and extensive measures were taken to rectify the problem.
According to LTA, all new trains are tested before they are put into service. For defective trains, immediate action was taken to prevent defects from resurfacing during train operation.
Hairline cracks that were discovered during inspection were confirmed to not affect operational safety. Nevertheless, to ensure that there are sufficient trains for commuters, all affected trains were sent back, one at a time, for rectification. Stringent checks would also be performed regularly to ensure operational safety of all trains. This article was written to clarify that safety was never compromised despite having defects on the trains, and extensive measures were taken to rectify the problem.
In my opinion, the issue was
handled systematically by the respective parties, as it might have been a
bigger issue.
The Straits Times webpage wrote
that, "Mr Khaw said the trains can take more the three times the maximum stress they may experience during operations, an d the cracks have not reduced this safety margin. An independent accessor, TUV Rheinland, confirmed that the trains are entirely safe to operate." According to another Straits Times
article, SIM University senior lecturer Park Byung Joon said cracks on metal
are not uncommon. "Many people don't realise airplanes are flying full of
cracks," he said. "As long as those are properly monitored, they do
not pose a safety concern." After reading the two Straits Times article, commuters
should know that stress tests are being conducted on the trains to ensure that
they are safe for operation.
Additionally,
Channel News Asia stated that, “Hairline cracks were found on
bolsters which support the train car body of 26 trains, and so manufacturer
Kawaksaki-Sifang arranged for all bolsters and car bodies to be replaced. It
also extended the warranty period for these parts.” I
felt that they handled the issue professionally; In addition, instead of
pushing the blame, they took action by taking responsibility and rectified the
problem.
In The Straits Times article, one
of the key issues raised was “Why
was the issue not made public earlier?”. Response was that there were no safety
issues and the issue was accounted for by the manufacturers; Moreover, commuters
would not suffer a lack of train due to the incident, and if the problem was
not dealt with pleasingly, only then would the situation be publicized. In this
article, many questions were answered by Mr Khaw himself and his intention was
clear that he did not want to create public unrest due to this issue.
In
conclusion, they have done well rectifying the problem systematically, as well
as, answering to the public regarding their concerns.
References:
Channel News Asia (2016, Aug 16) Khaw: Lessons to be learnt from defective SMRT trains incident. Retrieved from http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/lessons-to-be-learnt-from/3048928.html
Land Transport Authority (2016,
July 6) TRAINS
ON THE NORTH-SOUTH AND EAST-WEST LINES SAFE FOR SERVICE. Retrieved from https://www.lta.gov.sg/apps/news/page.aspx?c=2&id=0f8b1220-0289-4bef-99c9b2455f17a66c#_ftn1
Straits
times (2016, Aug
17) Cracks on MRT trains: Khaw addresses key issues raised. Retrieved from http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/cracks-on-mrt-trains-khaw-addresses-key-issues-raised
Dear Chris, below are the observations I have:
ReplyDelete1) The summary wriiten gives me a clear overview of the efforts LTA has put in to ensure and address the public concerns on the safety integrity of the trains. Before trains are comkissioned, various testing is conducted. Upon notification of defects, the trains are carefully planned to be send back to China for servicing in order not to disrupt the service standards to the public.
2) Reader response is clear and relatable. There should be more transparency on the response action the authorities adopted or will adopt for such situations and not to wait till speculations from the public starts to form.
3) Yes, I agree with you on the need for public transparency between the authorities and the public. As our society is getting more and more connected with the help of advanced social media, all sorts of images / videos are easily spread and become viral. It is hard to contain the consequences after the impact and harder to explain to the public as such issues was not made known to the public.
Thanks for the effort in writing this summary and reader response.
Best Regards,
Alcina.
This essay is a bit of a mess paragraphing-wise. Please adjust it, then I will give you feedback.
ReplyDelete