SMRT

[Temperament]

In today's news.

Train operators fined $1.1m for delays and lapses in safety


SMRT and SBS Transit have been fined a total of $1.1 million for a series of train delays and safety lapses in the last 10 months.

SMRT will have to shell out $860,000 for the following lapses: a trackside fire at Newton station on Feb 13; failing to launch the correct trains for service on the Bukit Panjang LRT network on July 4; failing to repair a corroded rail along the Circle Line on time; and exposing workers to the risk of electrocution at the Ulu Pandan depot between November and December last year.

The other public transport operator SBS Transit will be fined $250,000 for taking too long - 21/2 hours instead of 30 minutes - to evacuate 250 passengers stuck in a stalled train along the North-East Line (NEL) in June after the operator failed to move the stalled train to Hougang station for a detrainment process.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) said it will not penalise SBS Transit for the Jan 11 NEL breakdown that was caused by corroded U-bolts that caused the overhead cantilever arm to sag. The regulator said the it may not have been possible to detect the defects visually and SBS Transit had maintained the U-bolts according to manufacturer's requirements.

The fines will be donated to the Public Transport Fund to help needy families with their transport fares.

Is this the first time? What about the past fines? To me it is like you take your LHS pocket money and put it into your RHS pocket; if in the past those fine money were not donated.
Ha! Ha!