In the article “TRAINS ON THE
NORTH-SOUTH AND EAST-WEST LINES SAFE FOR SERVICE”, the Land Transport Authority
(LTA, 2016) wrote that 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 what was solution to the problem.
In my opinion, the issue was
handled in an organized and systematic way by the respective parties which
proves their competency.
What i feel is
important is how they react to the situation when an issue arise, and how the
problems were approached to prevent similar happenings.
In reference to the straits times
[1], Transport
Minister Khaw Boon Wan has addressed the issue that these trains could
withstand stress of more than three times the operational experience, without
reducing the safety margin. This meant that commuters should feel at ease that
stress tests are conducted to ensure that there are no defects. It
is also known that the issue with battery housing occurred only during testing
phase; hence proving that testing was effecting in finding any defects before
using it.
In addition to that, one of the key
issues raised was “WHY
WAS THE ISSUE NOT MADE PUBLIC EARLIER?”. Response was that firstly, there were
no safety issues. Secondly, the issue was accounted for by the manufacturers.
Thirdly, commuters would not suffer a lack of train due to the incident, and
lastly, if the problem was not dealt with pleasingly, only then would the
situation be publicized. As far as the public is concerned, it is not entirely
right that only the so called “major issue” would be publicised by the news. It
would be better if the public knew of such issue from our own news agency
instead of reading it from sources of other nation. This could create further
unrest as it could suggest that there could be countless issues going on
without the knowledge of the public.
In
reference to Channel News Asia [2], I feel that they handled the issue
professionally by taking ownership of the issue voluntarily; prolonging the
warranty of the bolsters and car bodies after replacing them. This culture of
taking responsibility should be commended on. In addition, it has stated that
tenders were called based on excellence and price valuation.
However,
there should be a limit as to how many defects were found during testing, as
well as, a strong message should be conveyed that quality is vital in
contesting for the tenders. An example of such would be, if a certain number of
defects were found, the respective companies should be given a warning and
another chance to rectify the issue, ensuring that it will not occur again.
Should it happen again, the company should be barred from contesting for subsequent
tenders within a given period of time. This warning will convey a strong message,
stating that the tender can still go to others who can deliver a better
condition of quality to price valuation, if results does not meet the
requirement. This in turn would boost the competitiveness of the companies
vying for the tenders; hence creating a more affordable deal.
According to straits times [3], 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."
It is true to a certain extent
that only experts in the field can determine what is truly safe for operations.
However, we must never take it for granted that they are always right.
Questions must be raised in order for the people to clarify and understand the
issue, as well as, getting simple explanations from the experts could test
their knowledge; thus giving the organization a chance to gain the trust of the
commuters.
In
conclusion of this incident, taking responsibility of the problem should be
encouraged, followed by solutions to prevent similar happenings and follow ups
are mandatory.
References:
[1] Cracks on MRT trains: Khaw addresses key issues raised (2016, Aug
17). In Straits
times. Retrieved from http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/cracks-on-mrt-trains-khaw-addresses-key-issues-raised
[2] Lessons to be learnt from defective SMRT trains incident: Khaw (2016, Aug 16). In Channel News Asia. Retrieved from http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/lessons-to-be-learnt-from/3048928.html
[3] Hairline cracks found on 11 Sengkang-Punggol LRT trains (2016, Sept 10). In straits times, Retrieved from http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/hairline-cracks-found-on-11-lrt-trains
TRAINS ON THE NORTH-SOUTH AND
EAST-WEST LINES SAFE FOR SERVICE (2016, July 6). In LTA news page. Retrieved
from https://www.lta.gov.sg/apps/news/page.aspx?c=2&id=0f8b1220-0289-4bef-99c9b2455f17a66c#_ftn1
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