KUALA LUMPUR: I acted in good faith when axing Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin as this is to save Bersatu, says Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
SINGAPORE: Passengers caught in MRT disruptions can soon get personalised journey time estimates on Google Maps , as part of its collaboration with the Land Transport Authority . Real-time information based on passengers’ specific locations and destinations will help them adjust their journeys during rail delays.
This comes after the Government on Friday accepted recommendations from a rail reliability task force, which submitted its report to Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow on Dec 30. At present, Google Maps does not immediately display alerts on rail breakdowns in real time, and passengers have to cross-check social media platforms or LTA’s webpage, which provides live updates on MRT delays. On the task force’s suggestion that buses be placed on standby at different locations across the island to serve as bridging services during rail disruptions, LTA and rail operators SMRT and SBS Transit said they plan to make operational adjustments to speed up the deployment of the first bridging bus. Currently, many of these bridging buses are diverted from regular bus services, resulting in a build-up of commuters at affected train stations. LTA will also study the feasibility of implementing a bypass feature as recommended in the report, which would allow a faulty train to be manually driven at a slower speed, so passengers can disembark safely at the next station, rather than on the tracks. Such a bypass feature would override the automatic train protection system, which instantly engages the emergency brakes to stop the train when a fault is detected in the train’s signalling system. Rail systems in other cities such as Hong Kong, Taipei and Guangzhou have rolled out such bypass features, which allow the train to be withdrawn as soon as possible, the report said.A stalled train that cannot be restarted must be pushed or hauled by a rescue train to the nearest station for passengers to disembark, before it is moved to the depot. LTA said it will reposition coupling levers and brake isolation valves on trains for easier access by rail operator staff, to speed up the coupling of a stalled train and a rescue train. The report noted that newer trains on the North-South and East-West lines, and the upcoming Jurong Region Line and Cross Island Line, will be fitted with emergency batteries, and recommended that all new trains adopt these batteries. These trains will be able to move to the nearest station during power system failures or emergencies that cannot be rectified within a reasonable period. This would allow passengers to exit via the platform, and would be faster than having them walk on the tracks to the next station.As recommended, LTA and rail operators said they would undertake more comprehensive data collection and analyses on components and their failure rates, to improve their ability to forecast which spares to stock up on. Necessary spares will have a buffer stockpile, to enable timely replacement when faults occur, as well as to secure components no longer produced by original equipment manufacturers while stock is still available. LTA and the operators said they would get extended service support from the original equipment manufacturers, as recommended by the task force, to help manage the increased cost of stocking spares. They also plan to localise spare part production and repair capabilities, and diversify their supply chains. The report had said this would reduce the need to send parts back to the manufacturers for repairs, improving turnaround times.In the long term, LTA and rail operators will adopt more standardised and modular designs for their rail systems, to ease and speed up upgrades or replacements. This will also make maintenance planning simpler. The task force had noted that procurement of rail sub-systems is currently carried out separately for each line. The report had recommended that LTA move towards modular rail architecture – comprising flexible and interchangeable components – to enable gradual upgrades and simpler replacement of system segments. In line with this, LTA is looking into grouping purchases of the same train model across different lines, noting that the North East Line and the Circle Line would require expansion and fleet renewals at similar timings. This is different from the past practice of purchasing different trains for each rail line and having stockpiles of different spare components for every line, said LTA.The task force also noted that LTA will engage in “significant renewal works” of three core rail systems – the trains, and the signalling and power systems – over the next decade, including the signalling systems for the NEL and CCL. It recommended shortening the time taken for this. In line with this, LTA will bring forward the renewal of NEL’s power supply system to 2026, by upgrading the existing power intake at the NEL depot in Sengkang and increasing the power capacity of the NEL and Sengkang-Punggol LRT via additional substations. In the longer term, it will explore building a new higher-capacity power intake as a dedicated backup power intake for the NEL. This move comes after a failure of the power switchboard at an NEL depot substation – which also powered the Sengkang-Punggol LRT system – in August 2025 caused a three-hour disruption on the NEL and disrupted LRT services for about 10 hours before services resumed fully. It was one of at least 15 disruptions that took place across the MRT and LRT networks between July and September. LTA said more engineering hours will be allocated so that the renewal works can be carried out efficiently and safely. This may entail longer service closures, and service adjustments will be planned carefully, with alternative transport options provided to minimise inconvenience to commuters.The Ministry of Transport has accepted the task force’s recommendation of working towards a target of certifying around 20 per cent of rail engineers and operators, who will form a “core pool” of operations staff capable of passing on critical skills to junior colleagues. At present, about 16 per cent – or 115 – of engineers under the rail operators are certified as chartered engineers. In contrast, less than 2 per cent – around 76 – of maintenance assistant engineers and technicians are now certified as chartered technicians. Also taking in the task force’s suggestion to carry out more staff rotations between the authority and rail operators, LTA, SMRT and SBST said they will increase these rotations to deepen engineers’ understanding of both front-line operations and system design. - The Straits Times/ANN5,000 Vietnamese workers return to their hometowns for Tet with free bus ticketsVictim paid RM7,000 to end engagement before murderChinese mother prepares ‘thunder breakfast’ for son, goes viral with 900 million views
MRT Disruptions Google Maps Land Transport Authority Rail Reliability Bridging Buses Bypass Feature Operational Improvements Managing Spares Upskilling Rail Workforce
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