Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew penned comment on SMRT massive breakdown

Following massive SMRT train breakdown on 15 Dec that halted travelling from Bishan to Marina Bay both directions for hours during evening peak hour, Transport Minister Lui Tuck Yew was made to pen his comments on his Facebook page.

I have been following the incident of the MRT breakdown from Cambodia. I am especially concerned over the well-being of the people who were reported to be trapped in the trains for an extended period of time before they made their way to safety.

There have been a number of train disruptions in recent days. I do not know if these are isolated incidents or whether there are systemic and more serious underlying issues causing these breakdowns. We will therefore conduct a thorough health check on our train systems, determine how the faults happened and also whether the maintenance, communication and recovery processes were adhered to and can be further improved.

I have asked LTA to assemble a team of relevant experts, including possibly relevant overseas experts to help us in this review.

I really do hope the transport authority can do something on this and possibly push for a new CEO for SMRT. We need accountability - the SMRT CEO should not stay hiding and not do anything after so many train disruptions recently.