Khaw Boon Wan

Two SMRT trainees were killed on 22 March 2016 in the Pasir Ris rail accident, after they were hit on the tracks by an oncoming train near Pasir Ris station. They were investigating a possible signalling fault on the tracks.[39] The driver of the oncoming train was not informed of their presence on the tracks.

Khaw received flak for his insensitive Facebook post on 23 March 2016 for a conflated post celebrating 150 days of no train service disruptions for the new Downtown Line while offering condolences to the two SMRT staff killed.[40]

A coroners’ inquiry was convened to investigate on the causes of the accident and whether it was due to human error.[41] SMRT admitted that safety procedures were not adhered to, which was in breach of the Workplace Safety and Health Act.[42]

On 5 July 2016, Hong Kong based investigative news agency, FactWire broke news about 35 SMRT trains being secretively shipped back to China for repair by manufacturer CSR Sifang Locomotive & Rolling Stock Company Ltd.[43] It was reported that cracks were found in the structure connecting the car body and the bogie. After remaining silent for a week, Khaw came out to explain that the cracks were not safety issues and that the news could result in “undue panic” during a briefing at the Bishan Depot.[44] He criticised the news agency for mischief and even suggested that Singapore is a victim caught in the rivalry between political factions in Hong Kong and China.[45][46]

FactWire noted that instead of taking responsibility for an incident which has damaged the Singaporean public’s trust in the authorities, Khaw chose to blame the news agency for exposing the cover up.[47] FactWire defended its reporting and denied allegations of political interference. In an open letter to Khaw on 14 July, the agency maintained that it is funded by the Hong Kong public and that its reporting is independent of commercial or political considerations.[48]

Khaw had indicated in March 2017 that public transportation fares were set to increase and a fare review will be conducted by the Public Transport Council (PTC). Rationalizing the move, Khaw said that operating costs have been increasing, rendering the current fare structure "unsustainable" despite subsidies from the government.[49] He further stressed the need to strike a "fair balance" in the proportion of transport costs between commuters, the government and the transport operators.[50]

Khaw's comments were met with discontent among the public, with many questioning if transport fare increases have been tied to service improvements, and whether there is a need for a fare hike when the transport operators have been generating profitable growth.[51][52]

On 7 March 2018, Khaw pushed for a review of the current fare formula and transfers. However, fares will be reviewed depending on the economic and market conditions. Currently, the "bus service must not be the same as the preceding bus service" is abolished and became a transfer.[53]

On 27 July 2017, at a forum on infrastructure management, Khaw stated that train reliability has improved three times since he took over.[54] He was subsequently criticised online by commuters who had experienced persistent breakdowns in the same period. Khaw had derived his statistics based on preliminary data excluding all delays caused by re-signalling works.[55][56] Other online sources suggest that Khaw may have used a positive-sounding Mean Kilometre Between Failures metric to back up his claims, instead of the industry-standard Mean Time Between Failures metric.[57]

Khaw further berated the Singapore press for reporting extensively on the MRT breakdowns, criticizing them for "turning tabloid", "publishing frightening figures",[58] and magnifying the problem to which he has no solution. He added that if solving the problem was as simple as "holding a pen and writing a few articles", members of the media should run the transport system instead and Singapore does not need any engineers.[59]

On 26 September, leaders from Singapore's Inter-Religious Organisation were invited by Khaw to bless Downtown Line (DTL) 3 amidst mounting frustrations against frequent train disruptions.[60] Despite this, DTL 3 suffered its first disruption lasting 40 minutes during a pre-opening launch on 15 October 2017, where commuters were invited for free rides.[61] Responding to media queries the following day on the disruption, Khaw remarked, "Sometimes things will happen … For it to happen when we are doing an open house, that is bad luck".[62]

In response to various problems with the Light Rail Transit (LRT) system, Khaw acknowledged that the Bukit Panjang LRT Line was not well-planned and built "in such a masochistic manner"[63] as it was "an afterthought due to political pressure".[64] He added that taking the LRT was an "uncomfortable" ride and he felt "dizzy" on the train, which he said was akin to taking a roller-coaster in Singapore.[65]

The LRT system has been slated for an overhaul under Khaw's tenure.[66]

On the evening of 7 October 2017, the tunnels along the North South MRT line (NSL) were flooded as a result of a malfunctioned pump. The flood caused train services on the NSL to be disrupted for 20 hours.[67] Khaw addressed the media 9 days later, holding the SMRT maintenance team responsible for failing Singaporeans. He revealed that the rainwater sump pit at the Bishan station can hold up to 5000 cubic metres of rain, at least seven times more than the amount of rain that had fallen in the catchment on that day, implying that the pit had not been maintained for quite some time. He added that a joint decision by LTA and SMRT had been made to replace the pump just a week prior to the flood, blaming bad fortune, he said, "but I supposed that is life".[68]

On 19 October 2017, the Singapore Democratic Party issued a strongly worded statement calling for Khaw to step down as Minister of Transport. In the letter, the party charged that Khaw has failed to stop the recurring breakdowns and other serious lapses all these years, signalling his incompetence and lack of leadership. It said, rather than shifting the blame to everyone else, as the Minister for Transport, he must take responsibility for the ongoing fiasco and resign.[69]

Responding to mounting public pressure and the intense media scrutiny on the constant train breakdowns and tunnel flooding, Khaw delivered a 47-minute Ministerial Statement in Parliament on 7 November 2017. The parliamentary sitting was attended by SMRT's senior management, which included CEO Desmond Kuek and Chairman Seah Moon Ming. In his speech, Khaw offered no apology, but expressed sadness and embarrassment on the continuous bad publicity received. He revealed that anti-flooding pumps at Lavender and Kembangan stations were also found to be in non-serviceable condition, and maintenance records might have been falsified since 2016. Khaw also disagreed with opposition chief Low Thia Khiang's charge that SMRT's main aim is to "make money for the government" at the expense of commuters, saying that "there are many other simpler ways to make money".[70]

Khaw also stated in Parliament that the tunnel's pumps are not critical components and insisted that there is no shortcomings or lapses in regulatory oversight by LTA or MOT staff. As such, a public inquiry into the matter in the form of a Committee of Inquiry need not be convened.[71] A poll conducted by market research company Blackbox, however, showed that 69% of Singaporeans felt a public inquiry into the incident should have been held.[72]

In the same poll, more than half of Singaporeans felt SMRT CEO Desmond Kuek should resign.[72] Defending Kuek's performance in Parliament, Khaw said, "he wasn’t parachuted in or being asked to go and fix this, he volunteered for this job. As the former Chief of Defence Force, I know his heart is in the right place".[73] However, members of the public questioned Khaw's choice of the word "volunteer" given that Kuek is paid $1.87 million per annum, and whether there is a proper selection process at SMRT given that Kuek, a former Singapore Armed Forces Lieutenant-General and civil servant, had no experience running a company in engineering or rail operations before joining SMRT.[74][75]

Khaw further suggested that the responsibility of SMRT's failures, including that of poor work culture, vests in the CEO.[76] He also believed that they could have avoided the fiasco if Temasek Holdings had appointed Seah Moon Ming to replace Koh Yong Guan as the SMRT chairman earlier, at his recommendation.[77] Khaw claimed that he had slept for less than 20 hours in total over the past month, which has cost him his personal health and family life.[78]

Speaking at the inaugural Public Transport Workers Appreciation Day on 14 November 2017, Khaw further criticised SMRT's maintenance team responsible for the tunnel flooding, saying that they had "tarnished the reputation of Singapore and Singaporeans",[79] and "brought disrepute" to other transport workers.[80] The saga led to the sacking of 8 SMRT employees and legal action is expected to commence.[81]

Khaw added that longer engineering hours were required and therefore train operating hours would have to be shortened.[82] Soon after, it was announced on 21 November 2017 that train services at 17 stations along the EWL would have to be suspended for two Sundays in December 2017.[83]

An MRT train collided with another at Joo Koon station at approximately 0818 hours (SST) on 15 November 2017. It was initially reported that the accident caused 28 people to sustain injuries and they were taken to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital and the National University Hospital.[84] Of the 28 injured, 2 were SMRT staff (including the driver) and 3 had to remain warded in hospital for observation. The collision caused massive delays on the East West MRT Line.[85] More commuters sought treatment thereafter, which saw the number of injured rising to 38.[86]

Speaking to the media hours after the accident occurred, Khaw said he was "deeply sorry" and it was "an awful day".[87] It was revealed at a press conference that the collision occurred due to an "inadvertent removal" of a signalling software protection feature. Train services between Joo Koon and Tuas Link station had to be suspended for four days to allow signaling contractor Thales to conduct further assurance checks.[88][89] The last train collision occurred over 2 decades ago in 1993 which resulted in 156 injured.[90][91]

On the same morning, commuters experienced long delays on Circle MRT Line due to a door fault, which caused station platforms to be overcrowded and commuters venting their frustration on Twitter.[92] The fault took more than two hours to resolve.[93]

In the evening of the same day, train services on the North South MRT Line were delayed as well. SMRT's announcement stated that the delays were “due to fewer trains” and commuters need to add 40 minutes of train travel time.[94] The delay is expected to extend till the following morning.[95]

In support of Khaw following the train collision, Law Minister K Shanmugam wrote on Facebook on 16 November 2017 that he was "confident" Khaw had the ability to "sort things out".[96] Prime Minister Lee acknowledged that the constant MRT breakdowns "have hurt public confidence",[97] but spoke in support of Khaw at the PAP convention on 19 November 2017. Lee added that Khaw had "our full support and confidence"[98] and claimed that Singapore's public transport system remained first-class.[99][100]

According to a statement from SMRT and LTA, the protective "bubble" around the first train was "unexpectedly disabled" when it passed a trackside device, which was not compatible with the new signalling system. The second train failed to keep safe distances from the first train as it moved forward automatically. Speaking to reporters at a press conference on 21 November, Khaw said that Thales, the provider of the new signalling system, "could have done better" to avoid the Joo Koon collision.[101] Khaw asserts that if one disregards the collision and the flooding incident, SMRT was "actually making good progress" with regards to train operation.[102][103]

A poll of 1000 Singaporeans conducted by market research company Blackbox from 10 to 16 November 2017 revealed that 65% of the public felt the public transportation system was "not well run".[72] 60% of respondents were "not confident" that the current situation will improve soon, and 57% felt that they had not been "kept informed and told the truth" about these lapses.[104]