Workplace safety and health (WSH) is crucial for all businesses, regardless of their size or industry.

MOM wants all organisations and industries to focus on how to enhance WSH systems and use technology to provide safe working environments.

The government, employers, and workers’ unions work together to actively promote good WSH practices.Workers in the transportation sector are at unusually high risk of injuries, hazards and potential accidents.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is responsible for ensuring that public transport operators, contractors, and partners must follow workplace safety, health and environment management practices.

To recognise the exemplary works by operators or contractors and their healthy and safe work culture, LTA awards them at the Annual Safety, Health, and Environmental Award Convention (ASAC) every year.This year, LTA recognised SMRT Corporation, a leading multi-modal transportation service provider in Singapore, at the 22nd Annual Safety, Health and Environmental Award Convention (ASAC).SMRT received a Certificate of Excellence for Safe Bus Operator of the Year for its Woodlands Bus Zone.The East West Line operated by SMRT received a Certificate of Merit for the Safe Rail Line of the Year.SMRT Taxis received a Certificate of Merit for Safe Taxi Operator of the Year.As a caring employer, SMRT offers several workplace benefits such as in-house depot clinics, health and lifestyle programmes, and staff facilities at bus interchanges.

SMRT has formed a Technical Safety Board that reviews and monitors its transport systems, equipment, and facilities for safe operations.

Serving more than 3 million commuters daily, Singapore’s MRT system is a thriving labyrinth that connects Singaporean households to metro stations within 10-minute walking distance.

Train Numbers Are UsefulHave you ever noticed numbers written at the ends of the metro cars?

You can make use of them if you have lost something valuable on the trains and want to retrieve back your items.This number could even be used to report any fault to the train operator.

All these are done automatically with the new signalling system.

The new signalling system which will add capacity and system reliability so that commuters can look forward to smoother and more comfortable rides.”6.

Most MRT Stations and Trains Are AccessibleThe government and operators have worked together to make MRT journeys accessible for everyone, including people with disabilities.

Singaporeans use public buses to travel to metro stations from their home or office and vice versa.

With 5,800 buses currently in operation, commuters have several options in bus transport services, such as shuttle services, midnight buses, and feeder bus services.There are single deck and double deck buses in Singapore.

These buses run throughout the island of Singapore, from 5:30 a.m. to midnight and beyond.

The bus services use the EZ-Link Pass for electronic ticketing, but users can pay cash if they want.The daily bus ridership has increased over the past few years.

The operator is being assessed for the Excess Wait Time (EWT) under the Quality Incentive Framework.The bus operator has received the Safe Bus Operator of the Year - Certificate of Merit: PT216 Woodlands Bus Package from the Land Transport Authority at the 21st Annual Safety Award Convention.

SMRT is the first operator to introduce the most innovative and safety programme - Professional Learning and Training Management System (PROLEARN) Analytics - for which it received the Land Transport Excellence Awards 2019.

Once it becomes fully functional, it can support the testing needs of both existing and upcoming MRT lines.

Rail engineers of MRT operators, including SMRT Corporation and SBS Transit, can use ITTC to test more than one project concurrently.

It will also help in the testing of Circle Line 6 trains and systems.The ITTC centre is being built on 50hectares of the former Raffles Country Club site in Tuas.

Ong Ye Kung stated, “Train testing is an important and integral part of our maintenance regime, which in turn upholds a high level and high standards of safety and reliability of MRT and train systems.”Features of ITTC• A looped endurance track with an uphill gradient.• A looped performance and integration track.• A straight high-speed track with minimal curvature.• Energy-efficient equipment incorporated into the design• Contains signalling and communication systems used in the MRT system.• Equipped with third-rail and overhead catenary power systems.ITTC construction in two phasesThe construction of the centre will be done in two phases.

A high-speed test track will be completed in the first phase by the fourth quarter of 2022.

In the second phase, two remaining test tracks, an administration building, an operations control centre building and workshops will be constructed by 2024.Meanwhile, SMRT’s new Rail Operations Centre (ROC) has been opened at the Kim Chuan Depot.

The line will be connected to all lines - north to Choa Chu Kang, south to Jurong Pier, west to Peng Kang Hill and east to Pandan Reservoir.

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) awarded two civil contracts for the design and construction of the four stations and associated viaducts at the JRL line.LTA awards two civil contracts for the construction of the JRL lineThe first contract has been awarded to a joint venture managed by local firm SCB Building Construction and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation.

The joint venture will work on Jurong Hill and Jurong Pier stations and construct a 1.1km viaduct between these stations.The second contract has been awarded to Singaporean construction firm - Hwa Seng Builder.

The firm will construct Nanyang Gateway and Nanyang Crescent stations and a 1.4km viaduct between the two stations.About the JRL lineThe 24-km JRL line will be an elevated MRT line with 24 stations and three interchanges.

Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan commented on this by saying, “This will help to distribute and relieve train loading between Choa Chu Kang and Jurong East stations, so that commuters can enjoy more comfortable rides.”Currently, SMRT manages and operates Jurong East MRT stations.

SMRT is also managing other MRT lines, including North-South Line, the East-West Line, the Circle Line, the new Thomson-East Coast Line and the Bukit Panjang Light Rail Transit.

The government and transport operators are working together to renew the oldest mass rapid transit (MRT) lines of the country.

SMRT Corporation, a leading multi-modal transport operator and the service provider in the North-South and East-West Lines (NSEWL), has partnered with the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to renew the most heavily used NSEWL line at the cost of more than $2.5 billion in a multi-year programme.

The satisfactionrate with rail reliability among Singaporeans has improved from 7.8 to 7.9.

People are happier with reliability, waiting times and comfort in the MRT network.MRT Network’s New Reliability StandardThe multibillion-dollar renewal programme to renew the trains and system in the NSEWL lines have been effective in making public transport an increasingly attractive mode of transportation for people.

The upgrading of the North-South, East-West Lines will be completed in the next few years, while work to expand the rail network continues.

The first phase of the Thomson-East Coast Line has already opened, while MRT operators are working with the government on the newly proposed lines, including Jurong Region Line, Circle Line extension, and the Cross Island Line.How MRT Operators Fulfilling Expectation GapCommuters want smooth and comfortable journeys always.

The ride-hailing business is increasing while the size of the taxi fleet is decreasing, that’s why to sustain both markets, the government launched Point-to-Point Passenger Transport Industry Bill.

The scheme ended in December 2020.The Land Transport Authority (LTA) has introduced a new scheme in the new year to support taxi and private car drivers in the point-to-point (PTP) transport sector.

LTA’s COVID-19 Driver Relief Fund (CDRF) will provide drivers S$600 per vehicle per month from January to March 2021.

The ridership for taxi and private-hire cars is still at 75% of pre-Covid-19 times.

However, as it ended, LTA came up with the CDRF scheme to provide cash relief in these difficult times.

Last year, when the circuit breaker started, taxi operator SMRT provided a full rental waiver for four weeks, which cost the company S$7.3 million.

The transportation system has become affordable and efficient, thanks to the innovation and digital transformation brought by two leading transport operators in the country - SMRT Corporation and SBS Transit.The mass rapid transit (MRT) system is the “backbone” of land transport.

SMRT Corp, being the leading mass rapid transit (MRT) operator in Singapore, has been at the forefront of MRT transformation through renewal works, new technologies, and engineering capabilities.In 2018, SMRT created five groups, including Trains, Engineering, Roads, Experience and Corporate Services.

L for Leveraging partners to strengthen its capabilities and increase efficiency.SMRT continues to partner with Land Transport Authority and other industry partners and academic institutions to launch various initiatives.

SMRT is rolling out out-of-the-box innovative solutions.

MOMS is expected to reduce the time for maintenance administration by 30%.3.

The operator launched the Wink+ app, X Collective (XCO) to enhance commercial spaces, Fullerton Health for implementing healthcare initiatives, environmental sustainability projects, and much more.4.

It started operations in December 1987 as part of the North-South line.

It is 56.7km long.As Singapore’s first mass rapid transit (MRT) operator, SMRT Trains runs the North-South and East-West Lines (NSEWL) along with Circle Line (CCL), Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL), and the Bukit Panjang Light Rail Transit (BPLRT).

It serves more than 2 million passenger journeys daily.Being the operator of the EWL line, SMRT plays a crucial role in its maintenance, improvement, and transformation of the rail line.

Let’s check out how the operator made EWL the most reliable MRT line in Singapore.The operator changed the fibre optic cables in the East-West Line along viaducts and tunnels to monitor and transmit information seamlessly from onsite equipment to the Operations Control Centre (OCC).SMRT installed Voltage Limiting Device (VLD) tomitigate touch voltage issues without affecting rail operations.

The high voltage network has also been reconfigured to ensure a single point of failure doesn’t disrupt the entire rail network.Disconnector switches have been installed in NSEWL lines to compartmentalise the rail network power supply.

These switches allow the operator to quickly isolate, identify, and rectify faults.The new signalling system in the EWL linehas helped SMRTto run trains at shorter intervals.

The second stage of the Thomson-East Coast Line (TEL) opened on August 28, 2021.The 43km, 32-station TEL is expected to have an average ridership of 500,000 initially, which may increase to one million in the longer term when it is fully operational.

The new stretch of the TEL line, called TEL2, consists of six stations including Springleaf, Lentor, Mayflower, Bright Hill, Upper Thomson and Caldecott stations.

These new stations are now being managed and operated by SMRT Corporation.

People can entertain themselves by finding 88 animals hidden in artworks.

Some benches at new stations have armrests and backrests.

The deepest underground station - Caldecott station - has been designed in such a way that natural daylight can easily filter in and brighten the station.