My friend SanNiang sent me an sms message telling me the ridiculous justification SMRT gave to remove seats on the trains. So, I checked with Aaron who mentioned once to me whether I had read the article. He was kind enough to send me the forum letter (see below).
MRT seats removed after public feedback
WE THANK readers for their feedback on Wednesday on modifications to SMRT trains to allow more standing room by having some seats removed.
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) and SMRT jointly developed the initiative to remove some seats on some trains based on feedback from commuters about increased crowding during peak periods. We agree wholeheartedly with suggestions to explore adding more carriages or increase train frequencies. We wish to assure readers that this has been fully exploited. Currently, the number of cars per train is already at the maximum of six. Since February, SMRT has added nearly 900 additional train trips a week.
To put the initiative in context, of the more than 100 trains in service on the North-South and East-West lines, only 10 trains will have 84 out of their 300 seats each or about 30 per cent removed. These modified trains are deployed mostly during peak periods. The objective is to create more standing room in train cabins, so doorways will be less congested, and commuters will find it easier to board and alight.
LTA and SMRT have monitored the situation and gathered feedback. In a survey of over 700 commuters conducted after deployment of the modified trains on Oct 31, nine in 10 commuters on platforms and seven in 10 in trains preferred being able to board a train quickly to having a seat. Most commuters also felt it was important to have more standing space in the cabins. And six in 10 felt that LTA and SMRT have modified the correct proportion of trains.
We fully understand that the removal of seats may be an issue for commuters with special needs, such as the elderly, parents with young children, pregnant mothers and the mobility-impaired. Hence, LTA and SMRT have ensured that all train cabins will continue to have seats; even modified train cabins will still have 36 seats each. As far as possible, these modified trains will not run consecutively at any station platform, so commuters with special needs who prefer the unmodified trains can still have adequate access to seats.
Aside from seats, other initiatives to better manage crowding have been put in place. SMRT has deployed service ambassadors to encourage commuters to move to the ends of the platform and the centre of trains, an initiative which seven in 10 commuters found effective.
Geoffrey Lim
Deputy Director Media Relations
Land Transport AuthorityBernadette Low (Ms)
Manager, Corporate Marketing and Communications, SMRT Corporation
I get a little annoyed with SMRT’s and LTA’s incessant justification that everything is done on feedback. First of all, for odd reasons I have had no indication of a survey being conducted. I suspect the results would be very much different if they conduct the survey at Pasir Ris, Boon Lay or Woodlands, only on the eastbound, westbound and northbound train respectively, especially after work during peak hours. And is 700 participants good enough for this survey?
Next, is it really true that the participants of the survey really reflect the sentiments of most commuters? Everyday I see people rush in without waiting for people to alight and most of the time these kiasus aim straight for the few available seats in sight. And if commuters really just want to board the train quickly as the survey claims, how is it that I regularly meet commuters who after boarding, stops to decide whether to go left and right regardless of the horde of commuters still waiting to board from behind? Face it, SMRT, if that was truly what is wanted by the commuters, why is there an uproar now that requires this explanation?
Furthermore, wanting more standing space in the cabin would indicate that the trains are too packed and an appeal by commuters for more trains during peak hour – not create more space to pack in even more commuters! The fact is, trains in Hong Kong runs at intervals of 2 – 2.5 mins during peak hours. Over here, we get trains between 3 – 4 mins.
Now, comparing our population density with that of Hong Kong, that 0.5 – 1.5 mins shouldn’t mean much. But when we look at our town design, we will realise that commuters travel almost the entirety of the MRT line (in any direction) before they alight. That simply means there’s always a net gain in commuters at most of the stations – except certain key ones like the interchange stations, the ones along Orchard Road and Bugis for e.g. – contributing to the trains being even more packed as it goes along. That’s very different from the subways of Hong Kong or Shanghai, as I noticed a large turn over of passengers every few stations.
The fact is, without an efficient alternative system to complement the MRT, the problem cannot be solved. I once tried looking for an bus equivalent to the MRT to travel from Raffles Place to Boon Lay and I found none that could match it in terms of travelling time.
In short, SMRT can remove all the seats on all of their trains and commuters will still be complaining about them being packed. And it might not be a bad idea after all… because commuters may now actually queue up nicely, wait for everyone to alight without rushing in. After all, there’s nothing for them to rush for anymore!
Just too bad for the old folks, the sick folks and the pregnant ladies!
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