October 4, 2023
SINGAPORE – For the first time, SMRT Trains has joined hands to foster deeper professional ties with another rail operator, inking an agreement for cooperation on Tuesday with Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation (TRTC), the operator of the Taipei Metro.
Under the agreement, both SMRT Trains and TRTC will share knowledge and best practices in operations, maintenance and engineering, SMRT said on Tuesday.
Taipei Metro has been held up in the past as the benchmark for Singapore’s rail reliability standards, when the Government took steps to raise service levels following a series of major MRT breakdowns in 2015.
SMRT Trains president Lam Sheau Kai said both operators will “share best practices and the use of technology” to enhance rail reliability while being financially and environmentally sustainable, and exchange lessons on keeping commuters, staff and subcontractors safe.
SMRT and TRTC will also learn from each other on how to improve cyber security while preventing service disruptions, as well as about environmental, social and corporate governance-related programmes.
Both operators aim to enhance shopping activities for commuters and promote tourism in each city via this agreement.
On rail reliability, SMRT’s trains travelled 9.9 million and 12.2 million train car-km between delays of more than five minutes across the North-South and East-West lines respectively in 2022.
TRTC performed significantly better, clocking 16 million train car-km between delays in 2022, based on the latest available figures from the Taiwanese operator.
Tuesday’s agreement was signed by SMRT Trains chairman Seah Moon Ming and TRTC chairman Chao Shiao-lien, and witnessed by Mr Lam and TRTC vice-president Yang Chin-heng.
SMRT group chief executive Ngien Hoon Ping was also present at the event, which was held in Singapore.
Mr Chao said that this agreement is a continuation of both operators’ collaboration over the last 33 years, which began in 1990 when TRTC sent its employees to Singapore for training.
Mr Seah said the tie-up would empower SMRT Trains and TRTC to deliver the “best-in-class” public transport services, commuting and lifestyle experiences to their customers.
SMRT’s rival SBS Transit had previously entered a partnership with TRTC and its subsidiary Metro Consulting Service in 2018 to strengthen its engineering and maintenance capabilities.