By Royston Sim, The Straits Times, 21 Jan 2014
WHILE yesterday's train delay led some people to comment that fares should not go up when trains are still breaking down, the Public Transport Council (PTC) has said that the two issues should be kept separate.
Its chairman Gerard Ee said the raising of fares is to cover rising costs for operators SMRT and SBS Transit, even as he noted that service reliability has to improve. Staff and material costs have spiralled upwards even as operators have been trying to improve productivity in the past few months, he told The Straits Times.
And while the operators are still profitable, he said their finances would need to be healthy to maintain service reliability.
"They need to finance replacement and upgrading. The public may not appreciate that one bus costs about $400,000 and, for trains, the costs go into millions."
At a briefing on the signal fault that affected 19,000 North-South Line commuters yesterday, SMRT chief executive Desmond Kuek was also asked how the fare hike could be justified given train breakdowns.
He said his firm had applied for a fare increase "for the system to be sustainable".
Consumers Association of Singapore executive director Seah Seng Choon agreed that raising fares and boosting the reliability of service are separate issues.
The fare hike addresses rising operating costs, which also involve enhancing systems and making sure they run smoothly, he said.
But he also stressed that the operators have to drastically reduce breakdowns, and action should be taken against them if they fail to meet standards.
In Parliament yesterday, the Transport Ministry proposed a Bill to raise the maximum fine for rail incidents or regulatory breaches.
It has suggested a new cap of $1 million or 10 per cent of the operator's annual fare revenue, whichever is higher. The current maximum penalty is $1 million.
Commuters caught in yesterday's train delay said they had expected better, especially after the recently announced fare hike.
Banking relationship manager Joy Cheong, 25, said: "After the fare hike, commuters are expecting greater efficiency and an improved commuting system, not frequent breakdowns."
Banking relationship manager Joy Cheong, 25, said: "After the fare hike, commuters are expecting greater efficiency and an improved commuting system, not frequent breakdowns."
She boarded a train at Yio Chu Kang station at 8.10am, but it moved only at 8.30am, she said.
It stopped after a short distance. Only then was she told of the reason for the delay, she said.
The train began moving again only after 8.50am.
"SMRT could have told us there's a train fault at the outset so people can make alternative arrangements," she said.
Travel agent Shannon Tan, 45, who got to work an hour late, said SMRT should have given more timely information.
Separately, SBS Transit spokesman Tammy Tan said it is investigating a power fault that caused a blackout at the walkway between the North-East and East-West lines at Outram Park station.
She said train services were not disrupted, and staff with torches provided lighting along the path.
SBS Transit did not specify what time the power trip occurred or how long it lasted.
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