29/09/2017

8 religious leaders “pray” for new train line

Update 13 Nov 2017: Minister of Transport must take responsibility
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/joo-koon-train-mrt-collision-smrt-history-9408270

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/mrt-train-collides-with-stationary-train-at-joo-koon-station-29-9407266

Transport Minister: DTL open house disruption 'bad luck'
Transport Minister: DTL open house disruption 'bad luck'
A train fault near Hillview station affected services from about 12.40pm on Sunday. Service was suspended between Bukit Panjang & Beauty World stations on Downtown Line 2 (DTL2). Service on DTL3, due to open this Saturday, was also affected.The Downtown Line is operated by SBS Transit. FOTO: LIANHE ZAOBAO

The Downtown Line (DTL) disruption on Sunday that dampened the mood of the DTL3 open house was "bad luck", Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said yesterday.

Responding to media questions during a press briefing on the tunnel flooding on Oct 7, he said he hoped commuters realise that "delays happen".

"Sometimes things will happen, but then it happens on when we were having our open house, then that is bad luck," he said.

read more

Religious leaders visit Downtown Line 3 ahead of launch on Oct 21
Religious leaders from the Inter-Religious Organisation, Singapore praying for workers & commuters during a preview of DTl3. (Foto: Khaw Boon Wan / Facebook)

Religious leaders from the Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO) were invited to have a preview of 2 stations along the Downtown Line 3 before its launch on Oct 21, said Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan in a Facebook post on Monday (Sep 25).

"They were gracious and took the opportunity to offer their prayers for our workers and commuters," said Mr Khaw in his post.

He also expressed his excitement and said that everyone was "counting down" to the opening of the Downtown Line 3.

read more

Comments on Religious leaders visit Downtown Line 3 ahead of launch on Oct 21

Marks Man
When u really need help by the power of god to bless the railway system:p
Like · Reply · 13 · Sep 25, 2017 7:26am

Joseph Tan · Singapore
So for someone traveling from Bendemeer to Newton, does it mean he has to pay for the leg from Bencoolen to Bugis as well?
Like · Reply · 2 · Sep 25, 2017 8:01am

Jeff Ong Choon Lee · Singapore Institute of Management
good luck
Like · Reply · Sep 25, 2017 8:29am

Mv Aritasha · Owner-operator at Self-employed
Something Wrong Happen There? 1st time Religious leaders visit Downtown
Like · Reply · Sep 25, 2017 10:13am

麦 斯图尔 · Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Something goes wrong and need to pray...
Like · Reply · 1 · Sep 25, 2017 10:39am

AlphaTay Jong Sen ·
the 2nd coming of Lee Kuan Yew
Like · Reply · Sep 25, 2017 10:43am

Allan Teh
The prayers are to chase away spiritual thing that has been causing "signalling problem" in our met system north south east west.
Like · Reply · Sep 25, 2017 11:09am

Allan Teh
Oops...typo due to autofill by PC keyboard. Its mrt (not met)
Like · Reply · Sep 25, 2017 11:11am

Angel Faith Ho
Bo pi bo pi soon soon dun break down..
Like · Reply · Sep 25, 2017 4:57pm

Kenneth Tan · Contract Call Centre Administrator at Pacific Light Power Pte Ltd
New downtown line 3 (DTL3) must be haunted. That's why involving prayers!!!
Like · Reply · Sep 25, 2017 7:43pm

Kenneth Tan · Contract Call Centre Administrator at Pacific Light Power Pte Ltd
Boh Bi Boh Bi want to Break down also Boh Bian Lah.
Like · Reply · Sep 25, 2017 7:51pm


Peter Chua · Managing Director at Eshopping Global Pte. Ltd.
Hahaha! Pray harder and see if there are no more breakdowns! If from now till December any breakdowns on this line will only show how lousy the system is!
Like · Reply · Sep 25, 2017 9:36pm

Pat Ng · Supervisory at GE
suggest Mr Khaw being the minister of transport go to waterloo temple to pray for a smooth DTL running without breakdown or signalling faults or any other faults
Like · Reply · Sep 25, 2017 10:46pm

Guang Tham · Boss at Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Invite religious masters to pray for smooth travel without any break down ????? What is this transport minister thinking of ????? Need or not ???? Your job is on the edge iziz ????
Like · Reply · Sep 25, 2017 10:59pm

NicJude Das
This is so strange. Why must all the religious leaders go? Why not the true religion? Can't be that they're all right, wouldn't you suppose?
Like · Reply · Sep 26, 2017 8:18am

Shaikh Syafiq AlKhatib · Guitarist at Arkentree
ok! i hope other train lines also do this, pray many2 to prevent delays..
Like · Reply · Sep 26, 2017 9:34am

Kah Meng Lee · Management at Stay-at-home Parent
No amount of blessing by any religious leader is going to mitigate the need for proper operation and maintenance. Our trains and their 'almost clockwork' like breakdowns is the bane for all commuters since time unmemorable. Save the $$ from performing these “wayangs” and channel them instead to train maintenance.

The first time I heard about “SMRT's train withdrawal rate” I almost fell off my chair. Just waiting to see if they are going to introduce “SMRT's train penetration rate”, the rate at which the trains withdrawn are being “penetrated” back into the service network.

Downtown Line 3 better not disappoint; otherwise, they will lose their last ounce of creditability (if it’s not gone already).
Like · Reply · 22 hrs

Josephine Ng Sih Ying · Australian Catholic University (ACU)
May the Ultimate Being be always in control as the entire MRT system tends to be perpetually "sick" & dysfunctional in her young age..
Like · Reply · 21 hrs

Shin Kai Tan
Joseph Tan, if I'm not wrong, he don't have to pay because I don't have to pay for the ride when DTL2 opened 2 years ago.
Like · Reply · 19 hrs

read more

Khaw Boon Wan 25 September at 03:34

We are counting down to the opening of #DowntownLine3 on 21 October. Everyone in LTA and SBS Transit Ltd is excited as we enter the final phase of our preparations for the DTL journey. We invited religious leaders from the Inter-Religious Organisation, Singapore to have a preview of two stations and also to try out a stretch of DTL3. They were gracious and took the opportunity to offer their prayers for our workers and commuters.

The completion of #DTL3 will cap more than a decade of intense work. We are all eagerly awaiting the opening, and especially those who live along this new stretch of MRT line. For other commuters, DTL3 will be another way to connect to the east!

#CountdowntoDTL3 with Land Transport Authority – We Keep Your World Moving

read more

Various religious leaders bless Downtown Line 3 as frustrations against SMRT mount

8 religious leaders dropped by the new stations that will be unveiled at the new Downtown Line extension, Downtown Line 3 (DTL3), next month.

This is according to Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan who posted on his Facebook page yesterday that the leaders from Singapore’s Inter-Religious Organisation were invited to a preview of two new stations and to try out a stretch of DTL3.

Adding that the completion of DTL3 will “cap more than a decade of intense work,” the minister expressed his appreciation for the religious leaders who offered prayers for the transit line’s workers and commuters.

read more

Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan joins 9 religious leaders to bless new Tuas West Extension

Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan joined religious leaders from the Inter-Religious Organisation of Singapore on Jun 5 to bless the opening of the new Tuas West Extension (TWE).

This comes ahead of the official opening of the TWE on Jun 18.

The TWE extends the East-West Line westward with four new stations.

read more

Minister Khaw Boon Wan and 8 religious leaders “pray” for new train line

Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan invited religious leaders from the Inter-Religious Organisation, Singapore to have a preview of two stations and also to try out a stretch of DTL3. They were gracious and took the opportunity to offer their prayers for our workers and commuters.

The move is viewed as ludicrous by most Singaporeans, with many slamming the Minister for not taking his work seriously. Some also mocked the Singapore Transport Minister for being superstitious behaving like Malaysia’s “coconut bomoh preacher”, who was hired when a passenger plane went missing in 2014.

Singapore’s train system has been seeing disruptions as frequent as weekly, but the Transport Minister claimed otherwise. In his Parliament speech earlier this month, Minister Khaw Boon Wan said train reliability is improving and that he needs 7 years to fix the train faults. The Transport Minister has also earlier blamed “politics” for the faulty rail design at Bukit Panjang LRT, and also the media for negatively reporting on train breakdowns.

read more

Netizens troll Transport Minister Khaw’s pictures of religious leaders praying for MRT’s Tuas extension

Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan on Sunday shared several pictures in his Facebook of religious leaders praying for the MRT’s new Tuas extension, which is to open in 2 weeks.

His post drew several funny comments from Facebook users.

Facebook user Bruce Wee trolled the post referring it to self-styled shaman Ibrahim Mat Zin, also known as Raja Bomoh. Raja Bomoh recently apologised for his bizarre rituals, which he conceded mocked Islam. Bruce said that when you make such rituals official, then you don’t have to laugh at it.

read more

9 religious leaders bless tracks for upcoming MRT Tuas West Extension
Here they are blessing the tracks

During a tour with the Inter-Religious Organisation (IRO), Khaw Boon Wan and the various leaders took the opportunity to pray for the new Tuas extension, which will open in about two weeks.

The IRO is a non-governmental organisation that was founded in 1949 to ensure religious harmony and peace in Singapore.

Just chilling in the most religious photo taken on a train.

read more

Khaw Boon Wan Singapore 4 June

The #Tuas West Extension (#TWE) will open its doors to commuters in two weeks. Effectively, this will extend East-West Line (#EWL) westward by 4 new stations. Many who work in the Tuas area are looking forward to it. Ahead of the opening on 18 June, I joined the Inter-Religious Organisation, Singapore to tour the new Tuas Link station and Tuas West Depot. They were gracious to jointly pray for the safety and smooth operation of commuters and workers using this new extension.

#TuasLink station will be the new EWL terminal station on the western end. It is also the first aboveground station that has a concourse above the platform. With a unique rooftop design that allows natural sunlight to peek through, commuters will enjoy a grand view of the station platform as they ride the escalator.

With Land Transport Authority – We Keep Your World Moving, SMRT

read more

Religious leaders 'jointly blessed' Downtown Line 2 depot ahead of Dec 27 opening
Leaders of Singapore's Inter Religious Organisation taking a private ride on the new DTL2 last Thursday. FOTO: KHAW BOON WAN / FACEBOOK

Besides having engineers & technicians do the necessary tests & preparations for the opening of the Downtown Line 2 (DTL 2) on Sunday (Dec 27), religious leaders were called upon to bless the MRT line's depot.

Leaders of Singapore's Inter Religious Organisation (IRO) took a private ride on the new DTL2 last Thursday (Dec 17) and "jointly blessed" the new Gali Batu Depot, Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan revealed on Facebook on Tuesday (Dec 22).

Located in Woodlands, the Gali Batu Depot is the main train stabling & maintenance facility for the Downtown Line.

related: Religious leaders take ride on new Downtown Line 2

read more

Fresh round of signalling fault delays hit NSL & DTL
The crowd at Tampines MRT at 7.45am on Sep 28, 2017.ST FOTO: TAN SUE-ANN

Commuters on the way to school & work on Thursday (Sep 28) morning experienced train delays on the East-West Line that lasted about 3 hours.

In a tweet sent at 5.53am, SMRT advised commuters to expect an additional 30-minute travelling time between Tanah Merah & Pasir Ris stations due to a track point fault.

It added that the fault was not linked to the new signalling project.

read more

Train delays add to PSLE pupils' stress

His heart sank when he saw the crowd at Pasir Ris MRT station. It was a big day for him - the 1st day of the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) - & the trains had been delayed.

The boy, who is 12 and goes to a school in Tampines, was flustered. He managed to catch a bus but was 10 minutes late for school assembly.

"I was anxious & worried throughout. I called my mum, who told me to call my teacher, who said to just come to school," said the pupil, who declined to be named.

read more

SMRT flooding incident: Maintenance team signed off on work that was not done; staff suspended
A malfunction in the water pumping system at Bishan MRT station caused rainwater to collect in the MRT tunnel, resulting in train service disruption on Oct 7 & 8. FOTO: ST READER

Preliminary investigations by train operator SMRT have found that a maintenance team in charge of a pump system, which eventually failed and caused a massive 20-hr disruption, signed off on work that they had not done.

The manager & staff responsible for the maintenance of the Bishan pump system have been suspended & are assisting in investigations, said SMRT in a statement on Tuesday (Oct 31) evening.

Records for quarterly maintenance works for December 2016, as well as in March & June this year were submitted but investigations found that track access approvals were not issued for these dates.

read more

MRT tunnel flooding: Pump maintenance work not carried out on 3 occasions

Maintenance works for the Bishan portal sump pump system were not properly carried out since December last year, SMRT investigations into a train tunnel flooding incident have found.

Preliminary investigations show that quarterly maintenance works for Dec 2016, March & June this year were not conducted as prescribed in SMRT's manual, the train operator said in a news release on Tuesday (Oct 31).

Maintenance records were duly signed off & submitted. However, SMRT's investigation showed that there were no track access approvals issued for preventive maintenance of the Bishan portal sump pumps for the maintenance dates.

read more

MRT tunnel flooding 'preventable, sad and unnecessary'
SCDF photos show knee-deep flood waters in tunnel between Braddell & Bishan MRT stations

The Singapore Civil Defence Force has been lauded by the public for working tirelessly through the night and day to bring North-South Line MRT services back on track.

New photos shared by SCDF showed their personnel at times in knee-high waters in the tunnel as they carried out their rescue operation of the MRT system.

The SCDF said they received a call for assistance at about 7pm on Saturday night after the tunnel between Braddell and Bishan became flooded with rainwater.

related:
MRT breakdowns are Singapore’s cross to bear
MRT from "Rolling Stock To Laughing Stock"
MRT tunnel flooding 'preventable, sad and unnecessary'
8 religious leaders “pray” for new train line
Navy fires commander of 7th Fleet after deadly USS McCain collision
Fresh round of signalling fault delays hit NSL & DTL
MRT gets more reliable despite rise in breakdowns
MRT hit by delays again due to signalling fault
MRT disruptions caused by signalling faults
Rise in major breakdowns but MRT gets more reliable
Train disruptions under new Minister of Transport
Train service disrupted on N-S, E-W Lines
Recap of recent Train service disruptions
Recent Train Disruptions
Two SMRTstaff killed by an oncoming train
Transport Woes #2
Transport Woes #1
Transport Woes - A Picture Story
Mixed Reactions To Announcement Of Free MRT Rides
Strange & inappropriate behaviour on public transport
Burned by mystery liquid in trains and bus stop
SMRT subway trains recalled after defects found