SMRT: We’re ranked 10th in the world - REALLY?

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SMRT: We’re ranked 10th in the world

February 17th, 2014 | Author: Editorial

LG (NS) Desmond Kuek, SMRT President and CEO


In a recent interview, SMRT CEO LG (NS) Desmond Kuek told the media that SMRT was ranked 10th in 2012, in terms of performance among the world’s metro operators in the CoMET Nova Group.

The CoMET Nova Group [Link] has a comprehensive programme of international urban railway benchmarking. The group is currently represented by metro systems from some 30 cities around the world:

1. Beijing Subway (Beijing Mass Transit Railway Operation Corporation – BMTROC)
2. Berlin U-Bahn (Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe – BVG)
3. Guangzhou Metro (Guangzhou Metro Corporation – GMC)
4. Hong Kong MTR (MTR Corporation Limited)
5. London Underground (London Underground Limited – LUL)
6. London DLR (Docklands Light Railway Limited)
7. Mexico City Metro (Sistema de Transporte Colectivo – STC)
8. Metro de Madrid
9. Moscow Metro
10. New York City Subway (MTA New York City Transit – NYCT)
11. Paris Metro and Paris RER (Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens – RATP)
12. Metro de Santiago
13. Shanghai Metro (Shanghai Shentong Metro Group – SSMG)
14. Metro São Paulo (Companhia do Metropolitano de São Paulo – MSP)
15. Taipei Metro (Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation – TRTC)
16. Bangkok MRT (Bangkok Metro Public Company Limited – BMCL)
17. Metro de Barcelona (Transports Metropolitans de Barcelona – TMB)
18. Buenos Aires Metrovias
19. Brussels Metro (Société des Transports Intercommunaux de Bruxelles – STIB)
20. Delhi Metro (Delhi Metro Rail Corporation – DMRC)
21. Istanbul Metro (Istanbul Ulasim)
22. Kuala Lumpur RapidKL Rail (RapidKL / Prasarana)
23. Lisbon Metro (Metropolitano de Lisboa – ML)
24. Montréal Metro (Societe de Transport de Montréal – STM)
25. Nanjing Metro (Nanjing Metro Operation Company Limited – NMOC)
26. Naples Metro (Metronapoli)
27. Newcastle Tyne & Wear Metro (Nexus)
28. Metro Rio
29. Singapore MRT (Singapore Mass Rapid Transit Corporation Ltd – SMRT)
30. Sydney City Rail (Rail Corporation New South Wales)
31. Toronto Subway (Toronto Transit Commission – TTC)

Its benchmarking process is designed to compare performance and identify lines of inquiry. It uses a KPI system with approximately 30 top-level indicators, which are designed to measure the overall performance of the organisation in several areas.

LG (NS) Kuek gave the assurance that SMRT will continue to do “everything possible” to improve the reliability of its rail network.

His assurance comes after several service disruptions occurred last month, which prompted Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew to express his disappointment with the rail operator.

LG (NS) Kuek said that SMRT has invested “significant resources” to improve reliability on the ageing North-South and East-West lines. It is refurbishing all major systems on older trains.

For instance, it has replaced the power supply units on its first-generation trains and upgraded software on third-generation trains to reduce propulsion faults, which accounted for nearly a third of trains withdrawn from service in 2011 and 2012. Signalling issues, another significant cause of withdrawals in the past 3 years, are also being addressed.

“Every delay or disruption is investigated, and we do this to address the root cause of every incident so that we can bring out the relevant lessons to be learnt to avert future occurrence,” he said.
The number of trains withdrawn due to technical faults has decreased by 32%, he revealed.

SMRT will also beef up its technical workforce by about 100 to 200 engineers in the next few years, to complement the more than 100 already on board. More technicians will also be brought in. LG (NS) Kuek did not, however, reveal if more engineers will be hired from Singapore or overseas.

The renewal programme is being co-funded by the government to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars.


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