The following is an email which was sent to Ms Saw Phaik Hwa, CEO of SMRT Corporation, on 1 July 2010. As of 23 July, we have yet to receive any replies from Ms Saw.
If you have pictures of crowded trains, pls email them to us and we will update it here on this thread.
Dear Ms Saw,
I refer to the Straits Times report, “SMRT: Tighter security will not mean higher fare”, on 27 June 2010.
Specifically, I refer to your remarks in these paragraphs as reported by the Straits Times:
As to what SMRT plans to do as trains seem to be maxing out their capacity, she said: “Trains will be crowded during peak hours. The question is, how crowded?”
She did not think that trains here are as packed as those in cities like Hong Kong, Taipei and Shanghai.
Even at its most crowded, an SMRT train carries 1,400 passengers, she said.
This is “not crush load”, where a train is carrying more passengers than the standing load it is designed to carry under normal circumstances.
Crush load happens when a train carries more than 2,000 passengers.
“People can board the train – it is whether they choose to,” she said.
As a regular user of public transport, especially the MRT trains, I am rather puzzled by your last remark in that Straits Times report mentioned above. Together with my friends and other commuters, our experiences seem to be opposed to your assertion – namely, that “people can board the train – it is whether they choose to.”
In my personal experience, I have at times had to let one, two or even three trains go by, because they were full and packed to capacity, before I could get onto one. Other commuters have also expressed similar experiences.
It is thus unfortunate that you seem to be laying the blame on commuters – that somehow we choose not to board trains which have space available.
I would like to ask how you arrived at that conclusion:
- When was the last time you took a train yourself – at peak hour?
- Is your assertion – that “people can board the train” – one that is borne out of personal experience?
- Are you aware that the situation of crowded trains has been one dating as far back as 2007?
- Are you asserting or claiming that commuters are to blame for trains being crowded?
Coincidentally, in the Straits Times report on the same day, it was reported that the Minister for Transport, Mr Raymond Lim, “shared commuters’ concern that the public transport system was getting more crowded…”
Do you share the minister’s and commuters’ concern?
We are glad that the minister gave the assurance that the operators are “aggressively increasing” the capacity of the trains.
And lastly, I would like to present to you some pictures taken by commuters. Please have a look at them and perhaps you could tell us if you expect commuters to squeeze themselves into the trains, packed as they are.
As your remarks were reported in a widely-read mainstream newspaper, and the matter is of public interest, this email to you will be published on the website which I run. It is called The Online Citizen and you can visit it by clicking here.
I welcome your reply and would greatly appreciate it if you could explain your comments as reported by the Straits Times to our readers – who are users of SMRT’s trains – who might be offended by your remarks.
Your reply will be published on our website as well.
Thank you for your patience.
I look forward to your prompt reply.
PS: This email is copied to Minister Lim.
Regards,
Andrew Loh
Chief Editor, The Online Citizen
________________________________________________
The Evidence
Some of these pictures were sent to The Online Citizen, others are from blog sites, news reports, websites and Facebook. If you have pictures or videos of crowded trains, and would like to share them with us, please email them to: theonlinecitizen@gmail.com. We will update this page with pictures or videos as and when we have them.
A short clip which we made in August 2008:
A clip by amicosta:
Pictures of crowded trains taken between 2007 and 2010 by commuters.
______________________________________________________
The Straits Times report referred to in the above email to Ms Saw:
————
Did these commuters at Raffles Place choose not to board?
_______________________________________________________
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when we talk about living cost lee kuan says don’t compare singapore to other country. we have done things that they haven’t being able to do.
now saw i comparing the mrt to other country.
they sure got a way to answer no matter what question thrown in. at the end of the day it is singaporeans fault again. you know who teach this skill?
our beloved father. when she get drill it is all about money. push in money push out money. so now she tell us i have yet to push coz i get push below before i can push you all from the top.
We have here a CEO , like many of the social leaders, who talks behind their desk only.
Each time when i board a crowded bus or train,Standing of course,but see a foreigner Sitted there,cant help but think: that Seat should be ours, yet now taken. Its a literary yet REALISTIC experience.
commuter don blame me lei the train i bought only can carry local ppl go and blame the garmen who ask them to indent so many FT you cannot board the train so wake up early and go back late so you can avoid the congestion or i can pick you up if you are late u die yr business ijust shake get my leg and take $$$$$$$$$
I suspect their solution will be to introduce ERP to smoothen the traffic i.e. commuters who wants to go home during the peak hours will have to pay more…
After all, they ultimately try to solving everything by using money punitively…
Hi Andrew,
Thank you for the good retort to the arrogant SMRT CEO.
First most important thing to do is : SACK Ms. SAW She not only lacks EQ but has demostrated to be thoroughly UNWORTHY of the Job. She must resign if She has any sense of self worth and dignity left in her….and if She does not resign She MUST SACKED.
The next CEO must be employed on the CONDITION that the CEO takes the TRAIN during Peak Hous at least Once a Week so that the CEO do not spew utter rubbish when answerisng queries.
Well… If pp go to n back from work empty handed. 4pp/sq meter may b bearable… But nowadays we c pp w laptops, files n back packs.
Unlike Taiwan n hk w cool weather, lots of po hv BO tt do not evaporate in the humid weather.
Has SAW’s feet been stepped on been stepped on by others or has she ever been under a talk man w potent BO?
Maybe mrt station traffic controllers shld control traffic b4 the fare gates such as pasir ris so limit no of pp then those in bedok no need to wait till 3rd train to get in.
what people want to hear is how the company provides solutions to the questions raised, not answers that beat around the bush that does not answer anything. If the company can’t solve the problem now, commuters want to hear what’s in store for future plans. What they expect, as commuters of SMRT, is a responsible answer. People are deeply upset by the nonchalant attitude of Ms Phaik and the lack of sensitivity to the issues being raised. A good company sees the commuters as stakeholders and feed-backs are precious information for improvement. It is of little surprise that some people are even calling for the head of Ms Phaik.
She is FT okay…don’t play play ah
Greed and Competition are not the result of immutable human temperament… Greed and fear of scarcity are in fact being created and amplified … The direct consequence is that we have to fight with each other in order to survive.
Politician cannot solve problem, it is the technician in the power plant that give you electricity. It is the engineers that give you the airplane. Technologies solved the people problem. Politician only pretends to solve the problem and therefore engineers, technician etc are simply the tools to create wealth for the politician in a Monetary-ism world!
We voted the politician into office, we then in turn become the technician, engineers etc to bring them money. The amount spent back on us was never faster than the amount they put into their pockets.
As if not enough, they further dig into our pockets by raising the cost of living by rising the cost of necessity and they say it was due to the good economy. In the end, we are the loser and nothing less!
Time to send the LEEs and their relatives out of this country and check how much they have diverted their wealth to other country so that they can abundance ship when Singapore collasped or emptied by their incompetency!
Hey folks, the foto up there in this article has one uncle in purple or pink with his hands like nearly touching the passengers?
Or have i mistaken?
That is not considered pushing people into the train right?
Xian Tang, 4 July 2010
no, its not pushing as far as i can see. its prod.
well, things are like this:-
. at 1st got no staff to guide people
. then comes the staff to guide people, manage the crowd
. slowly it “progress” to prod, due to the dense crowd. the staff must “action” abit to let superiors know they are not standing like goondu (idiot).
. before you know it, the staff will be pushing people in, maybe at 1st not so hard
. then maybe, just maybe, the staff will need to really pack people in.
hmmm, they never thought that people further in want to get off that particular station? is crush load realistic? what is wrong when people do not “pack it in”? people need space to exit & time. particularly time, if the crowd is very dense, if not, the train door will close.
people who travel in cars where the door is never too far away & have the luxury of time to crawl out of it, Just Don’t Get It?…
Alamak, with that kind of salary why need to take mrt ….. ????
Here we have someone who lives in ivory tower and people can get crushed …. well, whether they choose to or not.
Sad, sad, sad !
Can she say MRT too crowded, drive car lah. Then poeple drive car.
Then LTA say too many people drive car, increase ERP, and take MRT lah.
Then too many people take MRT, and so on and so on……..
Continue my joke
Every good citizen should have 2 things:
car and MRT card
on the day ERP increase, take MRT lah
on the day Ms Saw make comment, drive car lah.
Singapore law is almost perfect, not until when complain is illegal.
Ms Saw used to have colorful hair.Recently I saw her having dark hair.Possibly she doesn’t want to have grafitti spraying on her hair after that incident!
First of all, I would like to thank Andrew for emailing Miss Saw Phaik Hwa, Chief Executive Officer and President of SMRT Corporation on Thursday, 1 July 2010.
May I then ask, has Miss Saw replied to Andrew’s email? I doubt so, given Miss Saw’s sarcastic remark that she would be very depressed if she read all the comments and blogs about her.
Miss Saw also used to have colourful hair (purple being the most familiar colour) but it seems that she has now dyed her black or some other dark colour again.
Miss Saw should really sit down and think again before passing off uncalled for comments/remarks that only seek to infuriate the public.
She should also act on the feedback/suggestions given by the public instead of supposedly being depressed.
SMRT will never improve unless it acts on feedback given immediately.
Like Joseph Lim, I’m also wondering whether has Ms Saw replied to that email which Andrew had sent.
I’m betting my last dollar that she has not. And if not, this beg the question of why not ? Does she thinks its beneath her to have to answer to queries even though it is strictly under her purview ? Or is this another case of her getting depressed again if she has to reply to the public abt matters pertaining to the shortcomings of the company that she is running ?
Mind you, Ms Saw, these are NOT personal “comments” abt you per se which may justify you becoming a ‘depressed person’ if you read them. They are legitimate questions that the public has every right to ask, and expecting answers in return too. So, get over the ‘depression’, if you please, and do what you are being so handsomely paid for…….or like they said, if ya cant take the heat, then stay outta da kitchen, lady !
@Lucas, 14 July 2010
“…also wondering whether has Ms Saw replied to that email which Andrew had sent…”
Guys, she did – on TV – she said something like “… in response/with regards to email(s) I received…” circa 3 July. That was when she clarified she couldn’t do anything, the train frequency are maximized, she does take the train once every several months, blah, blah… (in effect, go suck eggs guys).
Or maybe she did have the courtesy to reply directly to Andrew. TOC pls clarify once & for all.
She should be fired!!!!
A few times during peak hours, everyone in the train squeezed till their backsides touched backsides, hips touching hips, penis at the butt….what the?
Especially at the door. If Saw has her backside pressed against everyday, shiok or not?
Mr Andrew Loh,
If u want the CEO to listen to u, I suggest that you ask one of the shareholders to make you a proxy; or you just buy one lot of MRT share.
Attend the AGM and speak as a shareholder. Lecture her on the social responsibility and fairness to commuters.
How do the experts get the figure of 1,400 – 1,600 passengers per train as an acceptable passenger load ? The correct figure should be calculated as folows:
number of cabins (say 6) x
number seated on either side x
number standing comfortably
along the aisle
Total ?
Any number in excess of this total is deemed to be un-acceptable. It is just like taking a taxi .. the maximum number is four .. one infront and three at the back. If you cannot move comfortably along the aisle, it is already considered over crowding. Based on the method could SMRT officials give a plausible figure ?? It can’t be 1,400 or 1,600…
“Even at its most crowded, an SMRT train carries 1,400 passengers… This is not crush load….Crush load happens when a train carries more than 2,000 passengers…people can board the train, its whether they choose to..”
So does this mean that the MRT-taking-public will not only need to put up with the existing overload, but in fact have to squeeze in ANOTHER 43% MORE passengers (from 1,400 to 2,000) before the CEO can acknowledge that there is a problem? If that is indeed the case, then good luck to all us suffering commuters!
PUB got shares or not?
if got, many share holders can demand for Committee of Inquiry into the Flood.
I agree with mrter. All disatisfied commuters should buy 1 lot of MRT shares and attend the AGM. Each and every one than stand up and ask questions such as 1. if Hong Kong’s MTR can have 1.5 mins frequency during peak hours, why can’t SMRT? More resources should be invested in making trains more efficient/frequent than increasing retail space in MRT stations. Retailing is not the core function of SMRT. Unless she has turned SMRT into retailing org. because this is the only thing she is good at. 2. When was the last time the CEO travelled on MRT during peak? How many times did she travel on MRT trains in the current year? 3. The govt. wants to increase foreigners by another 100,000 this year. How will this affect the crowdedness of trains? What are SMRT’s plan? 4. When she talks about 3.8 pax per sq.m., did she consider that almost everyone has a bag or back-pack? 5. For comfort level, did she consider that Singapore is a very humid country and most of the commuters perspire and emit heat and smell? 6.Did she consider that females would not like to be squeezed/rubbed/pushed in a crowded train? 7.How did the remuneration comm. arrived at a annual salary of $1.7+ million when the public’s perception of service is below expectations and the previous CEO was only paid $500+k? 8. What % is administration cost out of the total manpower costs? 9. What is SMRT’s priority, service for commuters or maximum profit for share-holders?
Everything is debatable.
some people may not think like Andrew Loh.
But at the same time, many support Andrew Loh because of his contributions and his tireless running of this Blog, which i think he is not paid for his work.
Thanks Andrew for Voicing up for many citizens and creating avenues for public discussion which has been lacking or should i say people are generally not used to public speaking or discussing issues that matter to them.
We know why people are like that. Its APATHY. Many have recognised this as a reason for singaporean mentality. By this, i do not mean every citizen is like that. By this, i mean generally people are like this. Its what characterises singaporeans.
Everything is debatable. Nothing is absolute. singaporeans must learn the hard way. That is the only way for them.
The fact is that Singapore trains are not as crowded as those in other cities. Readers and the article author would be wise to buy a plane ticket and travel in other world cities to see for themselves what “overcrowding” really means. I commute by MRT, at rush hours and at worst, I cannot board one train but another one come a minute or two later. I am not complaining as this is a fact of life living in a big city.
yes, the blind leads the blind here, many singaporeans are blinded(see no evil, hear many evil, and fear of evil) with, well founded “FEAR” and the midnight knock on the door, even drug addicts and their parents.
Well founded FEAR, look at wanbao reporter…..very bo-cok
She is so much paid do u think she give a dam about singaporean as she is driving car and taken care by temasek
GunduGunduThetrainsarecrowded,
eh, last time the trains are not as crowded. Its after the influx, mind you.
still can take 6.5 million meh?
u reply lah.
#ram
That is a good way to tackle such problems, we can combine and buy shares.
33% will kill all org and AGMs we can have our own directors even.
Brilliant idea.
to gundu,
don’t compare with the worst cities.
compare with the best.
expect only better than mediocre. nothing less.
world record.
It is a well known fact that this cha-boh is a very close friend of the wife of the PM. Senior staff in the SMRT know very wekk that she is a very hau-lian lady, and posseses very poor communication skill esp to her subordinates.
She is really not capable to be the CEO of the SMRT but the fact that she is a close friend of HC gives her that protection she needed to cover up her poor performance.
Did they say this is how you explain the meaning of cronyism?
just like some millionaire say… do u want to eat at a hawker centre, food court or restaurant?
They rich n privileged will not get it… they live in a very different world, though they delude themselves into believing they can empathize.
I am still sore about having to choose between paying more or having the air- conditioning at comfortable temperature, this women blackmailed the commuters sometime back, least we forget.
After being an online citizen since the last 2 elections were held, i notice that while Blogs like this one has contributed significantly to singapore, i am scared and worried to feel that things have not changed because of all these articles.
prolly the natives are too bochap or they know but disagree with views on this blog or find no issue at all.
The SMRT fiasco, sardine pack congestions, overpriced flat prices, influx and job insecurity and floods does not seem to catch the interest of most singaporeans.
Are the numbed?
Do they have feelings?
Are they vocal enough?
Do they dare to voice up in public?
Are they 1st world ?
correction : ” things have not changed DESPITE all these articles.”
Further to my post, I would like Ms Saw to proof that 3.8 pax per sq. is an acceptable standard. Hence, during AGM, CEO Saw carrying a branded handbag, Communications Mgr Low carrying shopping bags, an Indian shipyard worker carrying a back-pack and a Chinese construction worker carrying a canvas bag squeezed into a plexi-glass compartment of 1.05 sq.m. and remain there for 5 minutes.
This is a realistic replication of our daily peak hour rides.
In the 1960s in the US, teens used to have fun seeing how many people can squash into a car. Perhaps, something like this can be organised. As in, how many people can be squeezed into a train carriage. See if a record can be set. Something for the Guinness Book. A worthy goal, no? And fun.
After all, it is one thing to be told X number can get into a particular space, another if they actually can.
My lift is supposed to be able to accommodate 15 people. At 10, it is a already a tight squeeze. However, the lift starts beeping and the DOORS REFUSE TO CLOSE at nine people! So figures don’t necessarily tell the truth. Like some things, they are aspirations.
we should shift the pressure unto raymond lim, ministry of transport, and LTA instead of SMRT since these are the watchdogs that are supposed to ensure effectiveness of public transport and they have clearly not been doing their job. SMRT is just a profit generating entity, as long as LTA and Ministry of Transport let SMRT have their ways, the situation will never improve. Save your bullets for the real BADDIE!
When a General only justifies why battles are lost instead of winning them, you know the war will be lost. Only in Singapore is this called meritocratic. The standard answer nowadays seems to be “…it cannot be helped.”
Apple CEO is a proven leader.
1. When his product is well received, he dares to take the credit and share it with his team.
2. When his product has a problem, he is the one who faces the media and accepts full responsibility and accountability.
Now, this is Western Style Democracy Leadership in its most respected form.
It cannot be help, it’s unavoidable!!There are still rooms for you all to squeeze inside the cabins!! I will bring in 100,000 more to show you how they do it!!
Karma still in exile – They adopt Israel style of governing. If we talk no action who cares. Put a deaf ears. Lesson learnt. Is to ensure 100% safe & security. Do not hesitate, no compromise. To prevent recurrence. Hit first then talk later. Who cares..the no. of casualties. If protest, start talk, talk, ok, ok only. After that issue slowly die down and after awhile do it again. The only way is to MAKE IT INTO ACTION/HAPPEN. But who is willing to chip in. Uprising? Not for now. The level of anger is not up to the chest yet. Wait until that o guy out of this world. Otherwise there will be a lot of casualties. The state of faculty is in question. He don’t give a damn. So, don’t plray, plray… with fire. Fire crackers can lah.
This is “not crush load”, where a train is carrying more passengers than the standing load it is designed to carry under normal circumstances.
Crush load happens when a train carries more than 2,000 passengers.
“People can board the train – it is whether they choose to,” she said.
1400 is fine.
1800 is fine.
2000 is still fine. it is not “more than” 2000.
2001 is not so fine. 2001 is beyond the “standing load it is designed to carry under normal circumstances.” when you exceed the limit the design is meant to handle, something funny may happen.
when you say “this is not crush load” you are implying that you will take notice ONLY when this design limit gets exceeded. in some machines, this area is coloured RED to denote danger. it is coloured red because Normal People don’t form sentences like “this is not RED ZONE yet therefore i am not worried”.
the implication that only entering RED ZONE makes Ms Saw concerned is something very worrying coming from someone in control of a system that ferries thousands of people a day. have you seen an engineer saying “let’s wait for it to hit red zone and see what happens to the machine!”
what is wrong with our system(s)? 2009, 2010, all these incidents – makes the financial crisis seem like it was a better thing instead.
Ms Saw,
Your very statement that ”security measures have no impact …” is a give away that it has an impact on fares because an ethical person would not mince words when the need to apologize or explain arises.
This being Singapore, kudos to u lah for toeing the lines and ways of the incumbents.
When things fail or flounder the citizens are always blamed. When things work or is in the incumbents favour they self-praise themselves.
Yeah, way to make your people feel loved again, Singapore. Why are these “higher-ups” constantly treating us like second-class citizens? It’s not like we are taking the trains on welfare; we are paying the fees! And why is our situation comparable to Hong Kong, Shanghai or Taipei? So what-we have to be as packed as trains in those countries before something gets done? In the first place, why is someone holding a ‘Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry’ in the position of CEO of SMRT? (Like biochemistry has anything to do with mass transport.) This Ms Saw, who has no relevant qualifications nor the actual grasp of the situation, should be replaced by someone who could actually ‘work’ for the citizens, for once. It’s already frustrating to be squeezing into the super-packed trains every morning. Now, I’m even more frustrated to know that this is the type of incompetent people managing the trains I’m frustrated to take. And then for the roads, there is the ERP (to supposedly reduce traffic). Sigh, wish I could fly to work.