Singapore appoints international panel to advise new rail reliability task force

An international advisory panel of five rail experts has been appointed to support a new task force formed to enhance the reliability of Singapore’s MRT and LRT systems, according to a joint statement from the Land Transport Authority (LTA), SMRT, and SBS Transit on 6 October 2025. The experts, drawn from Hong Kong, France, Taipei, China, and Japan, bring extensive experience in railway operations, management, and maintenance. Their expertise will assist the task force in identifying and resolving technical and operational weaknesses that have led to recent service disruptions.

Experienced international panel appointed

The panel includes:

• Dr Tony Lee Kar Yun, former operations and innovation director at Hong Kong’s MTR Corporation;
• Patrick Bauchart, former vice-president for urban rail signalling in Asia at Thales;
• Dr Cai Chang Jun, former deputy general manager of Guangzhou Metro Group;
• Professor Tsay Huel-Sheng, former chairman and president of Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation; and
• Kon Shinichiro, managing executive officer of Japan’s Meidensha Corporation.

According to LTA, the collective experience of these experts spans critical aspects of rail systems, from engineering and safety to power supply and signalling. Their advice will be “essential to ensuring a safe, efficient and reliable rail network”, the authority said.

Task force to review recent incidents

The establishment of the task force was announced on 19 September 2025, following at least 15 delays and interruptions across the MRT and LRT networks within three months. The task force is chaired by LTA chief executive Ng Lang and includes SMRT group chief executive Ngien Hoon Ping and SBS Transit group chief executive Jeffrey Sim. Its work will involve identifying components that require replacement, upgrading, or increased maintenance. The findings will be reported regularly to Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow, with final recommendations due by the end of 2025.

Focus areas: signalling, power systems, and operations

A key focus will be the review of the North East Line (NEL) and Sengkang–Punggol LRT systems, both of which experienced major outages in August 2025. On 12 August, a significant electrical fault disrupted NEL services for several hours, followed by another power fault on the LRT network three days later. The task force will examine whether renewal programmes, such as the replacement of the NEL’s power system, can be accelerated. It will also study ways to strengthen the signalling systems for the NEL and the Circle Line—both using the same Alstom system—to improve short-term reliability. Technical audits and response review Beyond hardware, the task force will conduct technical audits of maintenance and operational practices, including staff training, asset condition, and fault management processes. It will also review incident response procedures, focusing on minimising disruption impacts and shortening recovery times. LTA noted that decision-making protocols during disruptions would be evaluated to reduce situations requiring passengers to alight between stations, a safety concern in several recent incidents.

Reliability concerns amid falling performance

According to LTA’s latest statistics, MRT network reliability has fallen to its lowest level since 2020. For the 12 months ending June 2025, trains clocked 1.6 million train-kilometres between delays exceeding five minutes—a decrease from 1.98 million in 2024. Transport analysts have observed that while overall reliability remains high compared to international standards, the recent string of incidents highlights the need for system renewal and better coordination between operators.