Assignment #2 (Trains for NSEW Lines Safe For Service - Summary + Thesis + Reader Response) - Second Draft

In the following news release, “Trains on the North-South and East West Lines Safe for Service”, Land Transport Authority (LTA) (2016) addressed the problems that it faced in regards to the North-South and East-West lines trains. It has also stated the actions taken to resolve the problems and how trains were subjected to tests to assure the public on their safeness and reliability. The webpage also mentioned the problems that were found on trains. These include “battery housing” flew open due to pressure, however it was rectified immediately by the manufacturer. Other than that, cracks on 5 of the trains’ draughtscreens due to installation errors and hairline cracks on “car-body shell” were also found. Nonetheless, operation of train services were not affected as these trains were tested to be safe for use. As it was impossible to repair the hairline cracks, affected trains that were under warranty were returned back for replacement of components. With a view to complete the rectification programme, LTA expressed that they would sent back trains in pair at a time for servicing. Nevertheless, this is dependent on the arrival of new trains along with the current ones which were still undergoing re-signalling so as to ensure there are sufficient trains for running. In order to ensure the safety and efficiency of the services, LTA has concluded that they will work closely with the contractors and SMRT. Based on the points elaborated, although LTA takes into consideration to ensure the safety and efficiency of the trains, they could have done better in handling this situation so as not to cause doubts and trust issues between commuters.

First of all, it may cause the public to have doubts and trust issues as based on LTA’s webpage, the news was released on Jul 2016. However, the train defects was found way back in 2013 but was not reported immediately. According to Kimberly (2016), she stated that: “Mr Khaw reiterated reasons why the issue was not made public earlier, saying that the hairline cracks on the trains did not pose any safety risk to commuters.”, since the hairline cracks did not pose any safety risks to commuters, LTA should have reported this matter to the public earlier. In Singapore, train breakdowns are increasing (Straits Times, 2016). With this being said, commuters are already losing faith in the train transport system. In my opinion, withholding of such information in regards to the problems found on new trains, may increase the passengers’ distrust. If the situation was not major LTA should not have hidden this matter.

Secondly, it was mentioned that the hairline cracks did not pose any safety problems, however I feel that it does not fully justify why it still needs to be replaced. Based on FactWire (2016), a Hong Kong news agency contacted a retired Singaporean subway staff and quoted: “I’ve never encountered a situation like this in all my decades of working in railway construction. Replacing the whole frame [of the train] - you can tell how serious [the problem] is.”, through this statement, LTA should have given a more detailed report stating the reasons the trains were being sent back to China for replacement of body. Otherwise, it will cause the commuters to have doubts as LTA seems to be contradicting themselves. Stating that the hairline cracks did not pose any safety problems yet it needs to be replaced.

Lastly, tighter quality checks for the components should have been done before installation. In my opinion, if these quality checks are done more thoroughly, it could have minimized the problems such as the explosion of the battery (GOV, 2016). As they could have removed the battery with defects before even installing it and situation like this would not had happened. According to The Independent (2016), FactWire interviewed former Hong Kong’s Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation acting CEO and he agreed that the quality control standard was mediocre thus resulting in cracks and battery problems.

Although LTA did execute various actions to correct the problems, it was incomplete and they should have done more preventive than corrective actions.

(600 Words)

References

FactWire. (2016). China manufacturer for MTR secretly recalls 35 SMRT subway train after cracks found. Retrieved, September 24, 2016 from https://www.factwire.news/en/MTR-securetly-recall.html

LTA says train defects “not safety-critical” but ex-HK CEO says QC of entire manufacturing process under suspicion. The Independent (2016).  Retrieved, September 24, 2016 from http://theindependent.sg/lta-says-train-defects-not-safety-critical-but-ex-hk-ceo-says-qc-of-entire-manufacturing-process-under-suspicion/

Spykerman, K. (2016). Lessons to be learnt from defective SMRT trains incident: Khaw.   Retrieved from http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/lessons-to-be-learnt-from/3048928.html

Tan, C. (2016) Cracks on MRT trains: Khaw addresses key issues raised. The Straits Times. Retrieved, September 25, 2016 from http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/rise-in-major-breakdowns-but-mrt-gets-more-reliable-lta

Trains on the North-South and East West Lines Safe for Service. (2016). Land Transport Authority. Retrieved, September 20, 2016, from https://www.lta.gov.sg/apps/news/page.aspx?c=2&id=0f8b1220-0289-4bef-99c9-b2455f17a66c#_ftn1

Why are MRT trains being shipped back to manufacturer?. Gov. (2016). Retrieved, September 25, 2016 from https://www.gov.sg/factually/content/why-are-mrt-trains-being-shipped-back-to-its-manufacturer

Assignment #2 (Trains for NSEW Lines Safe For Service - Summary + Thesis + Reader Response) - First Draft

In the following news release, “Trains on the North-South and East West Lines Safe for Service”, Land Transport Authority (LTA) (2016) addressed the problems that it faced in regards to the North-South and East-West lines trains. It has also stated the actions taken to resolve the problems and how trains were subjected to tests to ensure their safeness and reliability. The webpage mentioned that complications were found on trains whereby the “battery housing” flew open due to pressure. Not only that, cracks were also found on the draughtscreen of 5 trains which were due to errors during installation. However, operation of train services were not affected as these problems were rectified immediately. LTA has also stated that hairline cracks were found on the “car-body shell” which was caused during production period. As it was impossible to repair the cracks, affected trains that were under warranty were sent back for replacement of parts at no costs. With a view to complete the rectification programme, LTA expressed that they would send two trains at a time for servicing. Nevertheless, this is dependent on the arrival of new trains along with the current ones which were still undergoing re-signalling. In order to ensure the safety and efficiency of the services, LTA has concluded that they will work closely with the contractors and SMRT. Based on the points elaborated, although LTA takes into consideration to ensure the safety and efficiency of the trains, they could have done better in handling this situation so as not to cause doubts and trust issues between commuters.

First of all, it may cause the public to have doubts and trust issues as based on LTA’s webpage, the news was released on Jul 2016. However, the train defects was found way back in 2013 but was not reported immediately. According to Kimberly (2016), she stated that: “Mr Khaw reiterated reasons why the issue was not made public earlier, saying that the hairline cracks on the trains did not pose any safety risk to commuters.”, since the hairline cracks did not pose any safety risks to commuters, LTA should have reported this matter to the public earlier. In Singapore, train breakdowns are increasing (Straits Times, 2016). With this being said, commuters are already losing faith in the train transport system. Withholding of such information in regards to the problems found on new trains, may increase the passengers’ distrust. If the situation was not major LTA should not have hidden this matter.

Secondly, it was mentioned that the hairline cracks did not pose any safety problems, however i feel that it does not fully justify why it still needs to be replaced. Based on FactWire (2016), a Hong Kong news agency contacted a retired Singaporean subway staff and quoted: “I’ve never encountered a situation like this in all my decades of working in railway construction. Replacing the whole frame [of the train] - you can tell how serious [the problem] is.”, through this statement, LTA should have given a more detailed report stating the reasons the trains are being sent back to China for replacement of body. Otherwise, it will cause the commuters to have doubts as LTA seems to be contradicting themselves.

Lastly, tighter quality checks for the components should have been done before installation. In my opinion, if these quality checks are done more thoroughly, it could have minimized the problems such as the explosion of the battery (GOV, 2016). According to The Independent (2016), FactWire interviewed former Hong Kong’s Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation acting CEO and he agreed that the quality control standard was mediocre thus resulting in cracks and battery problems.

Although LTA did execute various actions to correct the problems, it was incomplete and they should have done more preventive than corrective actions.

(550 Words)

References

FactWire. (2016). China manufacturer for MTR secretly recalls 35 SMRT subway train after cracks found. Retrieved, September 24, 2016 from https://www.factwire.news/en/MTR-securetly-recall.html

Tan, C. (2016) Cracks on MRT trains: Khaw addresses key issues raised. The Straits Times. Retrieved, September 25, 2016 from http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/rise-in-major-breakdowns-but-mrt-gets-more-reliable-lta

Spykerman, K. (2016). Lessons to be learnt from defective SMRT trains incident: Khaw.   Retrieved from http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/lessons-to-be-learnt-from/3048928.html

LTA says train defects “not safety-critical” but ex-HK CEO says QC of entire manufacturing process under suspicion. The Independent (2016).  Retrieved, September 24, 2016 from http://theindependent.sg/lta-says-train-defects-not-safety-critical-but-ex-hk-ceo-says-qc-of-entire-manufacturing-process-under-suspicion/

Trains on the North-South and East West Lines Safe for Service. (2016). Land Transport Authority. Retrieved, September 20, 2016, from https://www.lta.gov.sg/apps/news/page.aspx?c=2&id=0f8b1220-0289-4bef-99c9-b2455f17a66c#_ftn1

Why are MRT trains being shipped back to manufacturer?. Gov. (2016). Retrieved, September 25, 2016 from https://www.gov.sg/factually/content/why-are-mrt-trains-being-shipped-back-to-its-manufacturer

3 Things to Improve for the Trimester!

1)  Work on run-on sentences and try to reduce them.

2) Improve on my verb tenses.

3) Work on my sentence structure.

Trains for NSEW Lines Safe For Service - Summary & Thesis (Draft)

In the following article, “Trains on the North-South and East West Lines Safe for Service”, Land Transport Authority (2016) addresses the problems that it faced in regards to the North-South and East-West lines trains. It also states the actions taken to resolve the problems and how trains were subjected to tests to ensure their safeness and reliability. The webpage mentioned that complications were found on trains whereby the battery housing flew open due to pressure. Not only that, cracks were also found on the draughtscreen of 5 trains which were due to errors during the installation process. However, operation of train services were not affected as these problems were rectified immediately. LTA states that hairline cracks were also found on the car-body shell which was caused during production period. As it is impossible to repair the cracks, affected trains that were under warranty were sent back for replacement of parts at no costs. With a view to complete the rectification programme, LTA expressed that they will send two trains at a time for servicing. Nevertheless, this is dependent on the arrival of new trains along with the current ones which are still undergoing re-signalling. In order to ensure the safety and efficiency of the services, LTA has concluded that they will work closely with the contractors and SMRT. Based on the points elaborated, it is trusting that LTA takes into consideration in ensuring the safety and efficiency of the trains. This allows its passengers to enjoy a high quality amenity.

Trains on the North-South and East West Lines Safe for Service. (2016). Retrieved September 20, 2016, from https://www.lta.gov.sg/apps/news/page.aspx?c=2&id=0f8b1220-0289-4bef-99c9-b2455f17a66c#_ftn1

Formal Email

To: Brad Blackstone

Subject: Introduction – Clarabelle Chui

Dear Brad,

My name is Clarabelle Chui from Tutorial 5, SIE Building Services 2016. The purpose of writing this email is to introduce myself. I graduated from Singapore Polytechnic and attained a diploma in Maritime Business in year 2016. The reason why I chose this course was because I am always fascinated about operations of vessels and how they transport goods worldwide.

What sparked my interest in joining this degree course is due to my final year project in polytechnic. The purpose of the project is to target sustainability in ports. We got to explore different areas in which we can go green and help to reduce electricity usage. As fossil fuels are burnt to generate electricity, it is not environmentally friendly at all. We came up with the idea of using geothermal energy which can be found in Singapore. Through this project, I realized the importance of conserving our limited resources in our country.

My goals in SIT are to be able to acquire more knowledge in this field of study. This is because for now, I am still considered as a novice in building and engineering areas. Not only that, I wish to develop and improve my communication skills which is an essential in the work force. I hope I will be able to use what I have learnt not only in making buildings more sustainable but also in the marine sector.

I thank you for your time in reading this email and I look forward to your class to learn more!

Yours Sincerely,
Clarabelle Chui

Edited on: 18/09/2016

Importance of English

When I was young, I used to think that learning English was very redundant. This is because I hardly had the opportunities to speak in English given the fact that I lived with my Chinese educated grandparents. However, this thought changed completely as I grew older. The internship has instilled me the importance of English.

I realized that if one is weak in English language it causes a lot of inconveniences to people working around you. As I interned in a ship managing company, one situation that I encountered was that whenever a vessel was having a downtime, a report was needed to be submitted explaining the details.  However, my colleague who wrote the report was incapable of constructing proper English sentences. Therefore, after the report was sent, another person was needed to spend extra time refining that report and correcting the mistakes made. It was not only time consuming, it also slowed down the efficiency as the time used could have been put to better use on other tasks. Without the ability to comprehend English, a person would not be able to excel in their areas during work and might misunderstood what your superiors are asking you to do.

Also, during work, there will be instances where work is needed be presented to higher-up staffs and without fluent English, one may not be able to bring the message intended across causing misconceptions. I feel that with poor English pronunciation, people may find it hard to catch what was presented and leaves an impression that the presenter is not well prepared. This makes the whole presentation unprofessional which in turns affect the confidence and image.

Therefore, I feel that English is very important to me as with the above reasons explained and how it is an international language being used almost everywhere makes it even more significant.

Commented on: Camille, Cherlyn & Khia Meng's Blogpost

Last Edited: 24/09/2016