Engineering and Operational Criteria to Differentiate Isolated Incidents from Underlying Systemic Issues in Rail Network

Written Reply to Parliamentary Question 

Mr Low Wu Yang Andre asked the Acting Minister for Transport 

a.     what specific engineering and operational criteria does the Ministry use to distinguish between isolated incidents and underlying systemic issues within the rail network; and

b.     what analytical processes are in place to identify systemic weaknesses, such as those in maintenance regimes or asset renewal planning, that may link service disruptions which may otherwise appear to be isolated.

Reply by Acting Minister for Transport Jeffrey Siow: 

1.     A train network is a complex system that comprises many different parts that need to work together. To diagnose the cause of a rail incident, Land Transport Authority (LTA) analyses fault trends and reliability performance indicators across different rail lines and systems. LTA also analyses information including system logs, the condition of assets, and maintenance records, amongst others.

2.     The disruptions in July to September occurred across different MRT lines. Investigations so far indicate that the incidents have different causes, and similar issues are not likely to occur on other lines. Nonetheless, we have formed the Rail Reliability Taskforce to review these recent incidents thoroughly, and jointly conduct audits on the condition, maintenance practices and operations of critical systems, to further reassure ourselves that there are no systemic problems.