Latest news with #R151
The Star
4 days ago
- Automotive
- The Star
Singapore rail operator to pay lower fine of S$2.4m for line disruption; must invest at least S$600k to boost reliability
SINGAPORE: Rail operator SMRT will pay a lower fine of S$2.4 million (US$1.87 million) for a major six-day disruption on the East-West Line in September 2024, after it submitted representations to the Land Transport Authority (LTA). This is down from the financial penalty of S$3 million that LTA intended to hand out in June when the investigation findings into the incident were released. Announcing the updated penalty in a statement on July 25, LTA said the penalty will go to the Public Transport Fund to help lower-income families with their public transport expenditures. The authority added that it had directed SMRT to invest a minimum of S$600,000 to strengthen its capabilities, and address areas for improvement from the incident, so as to improve service reliability. 'In reaching this decision, LTA took into consideration the considerable challenges SMRT had faced in planning and executing their overhaul regime for the Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) trains, particularly in procuring the necessary spare parts for the overhaul due to global supply chain disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.' The incident, which involved a faulty part on a first-generation KHI train, downed MRT services between Jurong East and Buona Vista stations and affected about one in six train trips daily from Sept 25 to 30 in 2024. An LTA spokesperson told The Straits Times that SMRT will need to channel S$600,000 towards improving its capabilities within a year, and submit a declaration and documented proof of this. In a Facebook post shortly after LTA's statement, SMRT Trains president Lam Sheau Kai said the operator will strengthen its direct engagement with original equipment manufacturers of trains and systems. The operator will also deepen its technical and engineering expertise through closer collaboration with these companies. On LTA's directive to invest a minimum of S$600,000 in beefing up its capabilities, Lam said the development and upskilling of its workforce have long been SMRT's priorities. In addition, the operator will continue supporting the secondment of LTA engineers to SMRT – an initiative introduced in 2018. It will also work closely with LTA and Alstom, the manufacturer of the new R151 trains, to roll out the fleet progressively. By 2026, there will be 106 R151 trains on the North-South and East-West lines. As at June 29, 61 of these trains were in service. The last of the KHI trains will be phased out by September. Investigations into the disruption showed that SMRT had extended the interval between overhauls for the faulty train without a detailed engineering and risk assessment. On its part, the operator had flagged supply chain disruptions arising from the pandemic, which delayed the delivery of new trains meant to replace the first-generation models and spare parts needed for overhauls. LTA had originally notified SMRT of its intention to impose the S$3 million penalty on May 30, and gave the operator two weeks to submit its representations. SMRT did so on June 6. While the details of SMRT's submission were not disclosed, representations may include reasons why the operator believes it should not be penalised as well as other applicable mitigating factors. LTA reviewed SMRT's representations before a notice of the penalty was sent to the rail operator on July 25. SMRT has 14 days to appeal to the transport minister if it wishes. If that happens, the final decision lies with the minister, who can opt to reject the appeal, or allow it and change LTA's decision. Responding to ST's query, Lam did not say if SMRT would lodge an appeal with Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow. But he said the company had received LTA's notice to impose the penalty and noted that LTA had considered its representations. LTA reiterated that Singapore's rail system continues to be one of the most reliable worldwide. Since 2019, the mean kilometres between failure of the MRT network has remained above the one million train-km target, it noted. This means MRT trains travelled for more than one million kilometres between delays of more than five minutes. The revised S$2.4 million penalty is the second-highest to be levied on a rail operator, after the S$5.4 million fine that SMRT incurred over a 2015 disruption that crippled the entire North-South and East-West lines for more than two hours during the evening peak period. In June, LTA said a S$3 million penalty for the September 2024 disruption was 'proportionate' to the circumstances surrounding the incident. The authority said it also considered the cost that SMRT had borne from the repairs, and from providing free bus and shuttle train services at the affected stations. Investigations pointed to degraded grease as the likely cause of the incident. This led to a faulty part of the train's undercarriage falling out on the morning of Sept 25, 2024. The part – an axle box, which holds the train's wheels to the axle, a rod connecting a pair of wheels – was dislodged near Dover station while the train was being withdrawn from service to Ulu Pandan Depot. This caused one of the train's 12 bogies – a structure below the train carriage – to derail. The six-carriage train could continue travelling, as the other 11 bogies remained on the rails. But the derailed portion of the third carriage caused extensive damage to 2.55km of track and trackside equipment, such as power cables and the third rail, which supplies power to trains. Associate Professor Walter Theseira, a transport economist at the Singapore University of Social Sciences, told ST that in the context of rail operations, the $600,000 requirement for improvements is not a very significant amount. It could fund reviews and process improvements, but would not suffice for any substantial engineering work. He also said new trains are 'not a cure for reliability by themselves', as they will result in better reliability only after teething issues have been sorted out. Prof Theseira also believes LTA should examine its own capability to judge the quality of a maintenance regime. 'While the operator is on the ground and has first-hand knowledge, it may also be that the regulator should have a well-formed second opinion.' - The Straits Times/ANN
Online Citizen
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Online Citizen
SMRT fined S$2.4M, down from S$3M, for 2024 East-West Line disruption; S$600k to boost reliability
SINGAPORE: Rail operator SMRT will pay a reduced fine of S$2.4 million for a major six-day disruption on the East-West Line in September 2024. This figure was announced by Singapore's Land Transport Authority (LTA) in a statement on 25 July 2025. The revised amount is lower than the S$3 million financial penalty that LTA initially intended to impose when it released investigation findings in June. Penalty to support Public Transport Fund According to LTA, the S$2.4 million fine will be channelled to the Public Transport Fund. The fund aims to help lower-income families manage their daily public transport expenses. In addition to the financial penalty, LTA has directed SMRT to invest at least S$600,000 to strengthen its capabilities. This investment is intended to address areas of improvement identified during investigations into the disruption. Challenges during train overhaul regime Explaining its decision to lower the fine, LTA acknowledged the challenges SMRT faced during its overhaul of the Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) trains. These challenges included difficulties in securing spare parts due to global supply chain disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The authority said that these factors were taken into account when reviewing SMRT's representations. Strengthening technical capabilities In a Facebook post following LTA's announcement, SMRT Trains president Lam Sheau Kai stated that the operator will enhance its direct engagement with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of trains and related systems. Lam also noted that SMRT plans to deepen its technical and engineering expertise by collaborating more closely with OEMs. As part of efforts to meet LTA's directive, Lam said SMRT will continue supporting the secondment of LTA engineers to SMRT. This initiative, started in 2018, is intended to build in-house engineering know-how. SMRT will also work with LTA and Alstom, the manufacturer of the new R151 trains for the East-West Line, to roll out the new fleet progressively. Background to the penalty decision LTA first notified SMRT of its intention to impose a S$3 million penalty on 30 May 2025, citing serious lapses in maintenance practices and system response. The operator was given two weeks to submit representations, which it did on 6 June 2025. LTA stated that Singapore's rail system remains one of the most reliable worldwide. Since 2019, the mean kilometres between failure of the MRT network has stayed above one million train-km. This means that, on average, MRT trains travel over a million kilometres before encountering a delay of more than five minutes. One of the highest fines to date The revised S$2.4 million fine is the second-highest penalty ever levied on a rail operator in Singapore. The largest was the S$5.4 million fine that SMRT incurred in July 2015 for a disruption that paralysed both the North-South and East-West Lines for over two hours during the evening peak. In June, LTA described the initial S$3 million fine as 'proportionate' to the circumstances of the September 2024 incident. The disruption affected train services between Jurong East and Buona Vista stations and impacted around one in six daily train trips. Extent of the disruption The six-day disruption affected nine stations between Boon Lay and Queenstown. Normal service resumed only on 1 October 2024. Approximately 500,000 of Singapore's 2.8 million daily MRT journeys were affected each day during the incident. Investigations found that degraded grease was the likely cause of the disruption. A faulty component of a first-generation KHI train's undercarriage detached on the morning of 25 September 2024. The detached component, known as an axle box, holds the train's wheels to the axle. It fell out near Dover station while the train was being moved to Ulu Pandan Depot for withdrawal from service. Derailment caused extensive damage The dislodged axle box caused one of the train's 12 bogies to derail. Despite this, the six-car train continued travelling as its remaining bogies stayed on the rails. However, the derailed bogie of the third carriage caused severe damage to 2.55km of track. It also damaged trackside equipment, including power cables and the third rail, which supplies electricity to trains. In addition to repair costs, SMRT bore expenses for providing free bus and shuttle train services for affected commuters during the six-day period. The financial penalty takes into account these costs as well as the operator's efforts to address the root cause of the failure.
CNA
5 days ago
- Automotive
- CNA
East-West Line disruption: LTA cuts SMRT's fine to S$2.4 million; amount to go to Public Transport Fund
SINGAPORE: Public transport operator SMRT's S$3 million (US$2.34 million) fine imposed for last year's East-West Line train service disruption has been cut to S$2.4 million, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said on Friday (Jul 25). The authority has also directed SMRT to invest a minimum of S$600,000 to strengthen its capabilities and address areas of improvement from the incident to boost service reliability for commuters. The S$2.4 million penalty will go to the Public Transport Fund to help lower-income families with their public transport expenses. Last month, LTA announced it would slap SMRT with a S$3 million fine after an investigation into last September's six-day train disruption found lapses - including maintenance intervals being extended beyond stipulations - in part due to delays on new train arrivals caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The train in the incident was among 66 in SMRT's first-generation Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) fleet, which were rolled out in the late 1980s. They were to be progressively replaced by new Movia trains starting from 2021, but due to the pandemic, there was a delay of 1.5 years, and the first Movia train was only handed over in 2023. SMRT was required to continue carrying out regular maintenance for the KHI trains still in service, but by the time of the incident last September, only 18 KHI trains had been overhauled, with the train in the incident not among them. "In reaching this decision, LTA took into consideration the considerable challenges SMRT had faced in planning and executing their overhaul regime for the KHI trains, particularly in procuring the necessary spare parts for the overhaul due to global supply chain disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic," LTA said on Friday. "Singapore's rail system continues to be one of the most reliable rail systems in the world. Since 2019, the mean kilometres between failure (MKBF) of our MRT network has remained above the one million train-km target." The authority added that it will continue to work closely with tripartite partners to maintain the reliability of Singapore's rail system and provide smooth and convenient rail journeys for commuters. SMRT may appeal Friday's decision to the Minister for Transport, who will either reject the appeal and confirm LTA's decision, or allow the appeal and substitute or vary LTA's decision. The Minister's decision on the appeal is final. On Friday, SMRT's President Lam Sheau Kai noted LTA's directive for it to invest in its capabilities. "Workforce development and upskilling have long been our core priorities for SMRT, and this directive is fully aligned with our ongoing commitment to invest in our staff," he wrote in a Facebook post. On the challenges SMRT faced in overhauling the old KHI trains, Mr Lam added: "Had the pandemic not occurred, all KHI trains would have been replaced by the new (Movia) R151 trains as planned, and the incident might have been prevented. "He added that SMRT will strengthen its direct engagement with original equipment manufacturers of trains and systems, and deepen its technical and engineering expertise through closer collaboration with these partners. It will also work closely with LTA and train manufacturer Alstom to progressively roll out its new fleet of Movia trains and fully phase out the KHI trains by this September, Mr Lam said.
STV News
18-07-2025
- STV News
Fallen climber with 'severe injuries' stretchered off mountain in huge rescue operation
A fallen climber, who suffered multiple severe injuries, was stretchered off a Highland mountain in a 'significant technical rescue'. The Torridon Mountain Rescue Team was alerted to the incident in the Sword of Gideon area on Bealach na Bà on Tuesday afternoon. A coastguard helicopter was deployed to the scene but upon arrival, it was established that due to the location of the incident, teams were unable to winch the casualty safely. Due to the technical difficulty of the rescue operation, the team made numerous shuttles with equipment to the top of the ridge and built a rigging system to lower a stretcher, medical kit, a remote rescue medical technician and additional stretcher attendant to the area. After reaching the casualty, the team stabilised and assessed a number of injuries. The climber was stretchered down 200m. The climber was then taken to hospital. Torridon Mountain Rescue Team A post from Torridon Mountain Rescue Team read: 'Descending carefully through loose, broken ground, we reached the casualty, where the experienced and well-equipped climbing partners had done an excellent job of keeping the casualty safe until we arrived. 'Assessing and stabilising the multiple severe injuries, we then immobilised and packaged him into the stretcher for onward descent. 'After a total lower of 200m, we handed over the casualty for onward travel to hospital. 'A huge thank you to the crew of Coastguard helicopter R151 for their assistance on this rescue. We wish the casualty the best with their recovery.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Daily Maverick
17-07-2025
- Daily Maverick
Traffickers still eyeing ‘cop cartel' cocaine conduit between Brazil and South Africa
High-level accusations have been made about a drug cartel in Gauteng that includes corrupt state officials, which is bringing in drugs from South America. Daily Maverick can reveal recent attempts to ship cocaine via an established criminal route, from Brazil to South Africa. A shipping container carrying chicken was intercepted and searched at the Port of Paranagua in Brazil last month. In it, a 13.5kg consignment of cocaine was discovered – and it was destined for Durban, according to Federal Revenue Service officials in Brazil. About a week later, in June, 70kg of cocaine was intercepted at Paranagua port. 'The criminal scheme involved smuggling the drug into a container bound for South Africa,' Brazil's Federal Police said at the time. These intercepted consignments were relatively small and raise questions about whether they may have been decoys to distract from larger batches of drugs. Brazil-SA cocaine conduit Daily Maverick has reported extensively on cocaine smuggled from Brazil to South Africa and how traffickers seem to prefer the Port of Durban when pushing drugs into this country. Earlier this month, on 6 July 2025, KwaZulu-Natal Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi made astounding allegations relating to this narco matrix. He alleged that a drug cartel headquartered in Gauteng was controlling a high-level criminal syndicate that extended into the South African Police Service (SAPS), the Police Ministry, Parliament, official prison structures, the judiciary and other law enforcement authorities. Mkhwanazi alleged that drugs were brought in from South America and often entered the country via the Port of Durban. From there, he said the drugs were moved to Gauteng for processing and distribution locally and internationally. Mkhwanazi's assertions have not been tested in court, and it seems they are yet to be fully investigated. On Sunday, 13 July 2025, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the formation of a judicial commission of inquiry to look into his accusations. #sapsHQ Police officers at the Durban Harbour continue to clamp down on the trafficking of drugs into South Africa. In the latest drug bust, these members seized cocaine worth R151 million. #DrugsOffTheStreets ML — SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) December 5, 2023 Mkhwanazi's allegations have led to several further developments. These include Police Minister Senzo Mchunu and Deputy National Commissioner of Crime Detection Shadrack Sibiya being placed on leave. Mkhwanazi accused the pair of effectively working together to undermine investigations into political killings, to protect suspects – charges they have denied. The scandal now fits into a broader arena of smear campaign and cover-up claims. Elements of this echo the situation that surrounded the late Jackie Selebi, who was South Africa's police chief from 2000 to 2008 and who was found guilty of corruption in 2010, in a case linked to drugs – cocaine – and the taking of bribes. Selebi claimed that detractors had set him up in a move to discredit him. Claims and counterclaims now also dominate the latest accusations of police corruption. What cannot be refuted, though, are crimes linked to what Mkhwanazi has alleged, including drug trafficking. Cop suspicions Daily Maverick has reported that a two-decades-old cocaine-smuggling channel is in operation between the Port of Durban and Brazil's Port of Santos. The Hawks have previously indicated to Daily Maverick that they are aware of the Durban-Santos route and that some cops were suspected of being complicit with the criminals using this channel. A R200-million cocaine interception that happened in Gauteng four years ago points to that. Police officers were among those arrested in this incident; however, the case against them was withdrawn. The SAPS said that the intercepted drug consignment was from Brazil and had ended up in Durban, from where it was transported to Gauteng. This is roughly in keeping with Mkhwanazi's recent allegations that drugs sourced from South America were entering Durban, from where consignments were smuggled to Gauteng. The saga surrounding the cocaine smuggling, which has exposed divisions in South Africa's critical Crime Intelligence unit, does not appear to have concluded yet. While traffickers may use both Brazil's Port of Santos – which they have frequently used – and the Port of Paranagua, heightened police focus on the Port of Santos may see traffickers divert operations to Paranagua. This is where the recent interceptions linked to South Africa fit in. While these crackdowns may not necessarily involve crooked South African cops, they suggest that the popular cocaine trafficking route between Brazil and this country is still active. This means that a chain of corrupt figures – involving, among others, port workers and those receiving, processing and distributing drugs – is probably in place in South Africa. Concealed among frozen chicken consignment Brazil's Federal Revenue Service said that on 17 June 2025, the 13.5kg cocaine consignment was intercepted at the Paranagua port container terminal. It was found hidden in a piece of equipment linked to a frozen chicken container. The Federal Revenue Service referred to the 'Port of Zadur' in Durban as the cocaine's destination – 'Zadur' is Durban's port code. (There have been previous interceptions involving Brazil, South Africa and cocaine concealed in frozen chicken.) According to the revenue service statement, the method used to hide the cocaine was the 'rip on/rip off' method – when a shipment is tampered with and 'illegal goods are introduced into a container without the exporter's knowledge'. This is a method previously used when cocaine from Brazil, via the Port of Santos, was trafficked to Durban – smuggling involving suspected police involvement. In the other recent crackdown in Brazil involving South Africa, about a week after the cocaine was discovered in the chicken container, police officers arrested two people on 25 June. One was a truck driver. The arrests followed the discovery of a 70kg cocaine consignment at the Paranagua container terminal. This was also destined for South Africa. 'The operation prevented the illicit cargo from being shipped overseas,' Brazilian authorities said. 'Fuminho,' Serbia and the 'supercartel' These recent interceptions, and many earlier crackdowns, indicate how cartels operate via South Africa. If what Mkhwanazi recently alleged is true — that a drug cartel with ties to South America is headquartered in Gauteng – it hints at other dangers. Cartels carry out other crimes, including murders, to maintain control of their drug routes. Daily Maverick has previously reported that one of Brazil's – and the world's – most powerful criminal gangs, the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC), or First Capital Command, was among the organised crime syndicates using the Port of Santos for drug smuggling. Accused PCC boss Gilberto Aparecido dos Santos, also known as Fuminho, has been in South Africa. Some police sources suspected that Dos Santos and the PCC operated here. Serbian traffickers are suspected of having partnered with Brazilian crooks. Several people from Serbia have been murdered in South Africa, especially in Gauteng, in killings with suspected drug trade links. (For example, George Mihaljevic was murdered in Bedfordview, Gauteng, in 2018 and seemed to know figures tainted by suspicions linked to cocaine.) There was also evidence suggesting a 'supercartel' headquartered in Dubai was operating via South Africa. Daily Maverick has previously revealed that Edin 'Tito' Gacanin, allegedly linked to the 'supercartel' that consists of international gangs that have joined forces, was involved in a cocaine consignment involving Durban. Gacanin, of Bosnia and Herzegovina, has a Netherlands passport. The United States has accused him of being one of the world's most prolific narcotraffickers. Other incidents linked to the cocaine trade hint at international criminals with links to local operators, crooked police officers possibly included. Interceptions and burglary These may tie in with the R200-million cocaine interception of four years ago in Gauteng, which led to the arrests of police officers in a case subsequently withdrawn. (The case, however, may develop further if charges are reinstated.) That incident happened on 9 July 2021, coincidentally when riots broke out after former president Jacob Zuma was briefly jailed. There were other curious drug incidents that year. Weeks later, on 30 July 2021, half a billion rands worth of cocaine, in brick form and in a container ostensibly holding truck parts, was discovered at the Durban harbour. This had suspected links to the 9 July cocaine interception. #sapsKZN #SAPS in KwaZulu-Natal have recovered pure cocaine worth an estimated value of over R80 million which were concealed inside a container at the Durban Harbour. #DrugsOffTheStreets ME — SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) December 2, 2024 Months later, over a weekend in November 2021, the Hawks offices in Port Shepstone, KwaZulu-Natal, were burgled. Cocaine valued at R200-million was stolen. A Hawks statement said: 'The suspects gained entry into the building by forcing open the windows. One of the safes in the office, which were used to store exhibits, was tampered with.' It was widely suspected that police officers had been involved in this incident. As this journalist's book, Clash of the Cartels: Unmasking the global drug kingpins stalking South Africa, explained: 'Further suspicions were along the lines that the theft was an inside job, and cops had been bribed by suspects linked to powerful international cartels from Brazil, Serbia or both, to ensure the cocaine was retrieved. 'If all this were true, it meant that police officers were involved in smuggling R200-million in cocaine from Brazil into SA, fellow police officers had stopped them in their tracks, and corrupt cops then retaliated by stealing the cocaine back from their clean colleagues. 'A cocaine-laden cycle of collusion.' DM
