SMRT is in the news again.

But this time, it has nothing to do with train delays or train breakdowns.

In fact, they were in the news for transporting Singaporeans very efficiently.

Before we proceed, here is a little background story:

Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) caused a bit of a stir island-wide on Aug. 26, 2014, when they chartered five MRT trains as transport that travelled continuously from one-north MRT station to Stadium MRT station for a rugby match against St Andrew’s Secondary (SAS) at the Singapore Sports Hub.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has since said it is looking into taking “appropriate action” against SMRT for not seeking approval before agreeing to provide the service to ACS(I).

SMRT has also admitted that they should have obtained LTA's approval first, but it is not the first time they did not seek approval from the authorities to charter their trains.

Since SMRT has written on its Facebook that we can write to [email protected] on transport matters, we decided to give it a go and ask them 10 questions.

Below are our 10 questions to SMRT:

1. The Land Transport Authority said in the media that SMRT failed to get the necessary approval from the authorities. Why didn't SMRT do so?

2. SMRT mentioned that it had previously worked with schools to charter trains and transport students for events such as the National Day Parade rehearsals. Was the LTA informed of such services? Were these services approved by the LTA?

3. SMRT own both buses and trains. We understand that SMRT declined to reveal the costs. Using your own internal calculations, can you assess whether it is more cost-efficient to transport 3,000 people on a train during non-peak hours?

4. How many SMRT staff was involved in the ACExpress effort? Can you confirm the number of ACS students, parents and staff who took the train?

5. We noticed that CNA was curious whether the ACExpress caused any delay. Can you explain the impact of chartered trains on train service during non-peak hours?

6. Author Neil Humphreys said in his FB post that "this is essentially an elite school getting a private MRT train". Would SMRT have done the same for St Andrew's Secondary School or any neighbourhood schools?

7. Share with us how this ACExpress effort came about.

8. Did you receive any feedback from the ACS (I) students, parents and teachers? Can you share them with us?

9. This is Mr Brown's statement. Do you agree with him?

10. Would SMRT have done the same if it knew that it would receive such a strong online reaction from the public?

Here is the full reply from Mr Lee Ling Wee, Managing Director, SMRT Trains, in response to our queries:

I thank you for the opportunity to address the decision to deploy Circle Line trains for Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) on Tuesday.

Five Circle Line trains were assigned to transport some 3,000 ACS(I) students for a one-way journey from one-north MRT station to Stadium MRT station. We are grateful that the school informed us beforehand as it gave us time to make the operational scheduling decisions that minimized inconvenience to other commuters along the line. When the request was surfaced for decision, the key considerations were operational, and whether we could support it with minimal impact to other commuters. Given the advance notice, staff were able to work with the school to move the thousands of students along the Circle Line in a smooth, timely and efficient manner even while stations along the line remained open to other commuters.

We were able to insert five trains to support this request because it was planned during off-peak period. The nature of operation in CCL is such that while the current train fleet is insufficient to meet commuter demands during morning and evening peak periods, the overall average train capacity utilized throughout the day is only 20%-30%. There is excess capacity during off-peak hours such that as part of our daily schedule, we are able to withdraw some trains from service because of low passenger loadings. The 5 trains inserted on 26 August were part of the trains withdrawn during off-peak hours. (Emphasis mine)

We are pleased to note that normal Circle Line train services ran smoothly throughout the transit. The story may have been different had 3,000 students descended on the Circle Line with no prior notice at the same time without crowd control measures in place, catching commuters and our station staff by surprise. Prior notice by ACS(I) allowed SMRT to put in place crowd control measures at the two stations as both the school and the destination were close to MRT stations.

The response from the students was terrific. Read their responses here in this video: http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/transport/story/smrt-may-face-lta-sanctions-allowing-use-trains-private-use-without-a

The charters are not without precedent. Tens of thousands of students from many schools have experienced similar charters done in support of National Education shows in recent years – all moved efficiently and safely and without fuss. No permission was sought from LTA in these charters. (Emphasis mine)

We encourage more schools in the neighbourhoods located close to MRT stations to consider such charters, during off-peak periods, should they see a need to move a large number of students along our network. All things considered, we feel the effort was genuine and worthwhile as it transported a large number of students efficiently and safely.

Going forward, we will keep the relevant agencies updated on such arrangements. (Emphasis mine)

We will review such requests on a case-by-case basis to assess how we can best meet people-mover needs, while ensuring the safety and reliability of travel on SMRT Trains.

Best regards,

Lee Ling Wee

Managing Director

SMRT Trains

Related article:

Debate: Should SMRT have allowed ACS(I) to charter 5 MRT trains to National Stadium for rugby final?

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