MRT services satisfaction linked to signalling test: Study
TODAY file photo.
SINGAPORE – Commuters’ satisfaction with the Republic’s MRT services fell sharply around the time that weekday signalling tests began in late May, according to a study by the Singapore Management University (SMU).
Earlier this month, Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan, citing statistics, said there was a disconnect between the improved performance of rail lines and commuters’ perception.
In comparison, commuters were happier with bus and taxi services, and even with the beleaguered Bukit Panjang LRT network, according to the Customer Satisfaction Index of Singapore report released on Wednesday (Sept 27) by the SMU’s Institute of Service Excellence (ISE).
The MRT system scored 64.8 points on a scale of zero to 100 during the study conducted in the second quarter of this year, dropping 1.6 points compared to the same period last year.
This marks the first drop in customer satisfaction in the MRT system that the study has seen since 2014, when the authorities began efforts to improve the quality of public transport services here.
Rail operator SMRT saw a year-on-year drop of 1.7 points in customer satisfaction to 64.6 points this year, while SBS Transit scored 65.1 points, dropping 1.4 points.
SMRT runs the East-West, North-South and Circle Lines, while SBS Transit runs the North-East and Downtown Lines.
Customer satisfaction and perceived quality scores were also significantly lower in July this year, compared to between April and June.
This coincided with the start of weekday signalling tests on the North-South Line (NSL) in late May, as well as various train disruptions that happened in the next few months.
Factors such as train reliability, the frequency of trains and the handling of train disruptions had significant positive impact on commuters’ perceived quality of train operations, the index found.
“It is clear that commuters’ perceptions of quality relate to whether train operations are well managed to get them to their destination in an effective manner,” said Mr Chen Yongchang, ISE’s head of research and consulting.
Progressive testing of the new signalling system has been carried out for the past six months, with the trials first conducted over the last hour of passenger service. On April 16, the tests were moved to Sundays, before full-day weekday trials started on May 29.
Several train disruptions have dogged the start of the weekday tests. For example, on June 12, there was a delay during morning rush-hour due to signalling faults. On Aug 17, a signalling fault near Ang Mo Kio MRT Station caused train service delays that lasted over two hours on the North-South Line (NSL) during the evening rush-hour.
SMRT had warned in June that commuters could continue to experience some delay when travelling on the NSL, and acknowledged the teething problems that surfaced during the initial trials.
Transport analysts TODAY spoke to said that despite these warnings, commuters would feel less satisfied with the MRT system, given that train disruptions were still happening regularly.
Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) transport economist Walter Theseira said that commuters here do not believe that it is acceptable to have frequent disruptions in mass public transit, regardless of the cause.
“I think the public understands rail engineering is a complex issue and it will take time to resolve the current reliability problems, but that knowledge doesn’t make people feel any happier when they are late for an important meeting or stuck in the train for longer than usual,” he added.
National University of Singapore transport researcher Lee Der-Horng noted that even if most people do not personally experience train delays, “when people talk and we read from the news, we develop our perception” of the MRT system.
Mr Khaw had attributed the “disconnect” between rail reliability numbers, which showed the Republic making significant strides, and the picture seen by journalists and Singaporeans to a conflation of two separate missions: Raising the reliability of existing MRT lines and pursuing new rail projects, such as the Thomson-East Coast Line.
As for the LRT system, satisfaction levels across all three lines, including the problematic Bukit Panjang LRT (BPLRT), rose. The LRT system overall scored 65.1 points, improving by 1.1 points year-on-year.
Mr Khaw had described the BPLRT as an “afterthought” that was built under political pressure, resulting in a design that makes for uncomfortable rides.
“No LRT is designed that way, in such a masochistic manner, where you force yourself up and down, twist and turn,” said Mr Khaw, who is also Coordinating Minister for Infrastructure, earlier this month.
Transport analysts attributed the rise in customer satisfaction to the LRT system facing fewer disruptions. “There are a lot more disruptions on the MRT system, so naturally people would be less satisfied with it,” said SUSS urban transport expert Park Byung Joon.
Dr Lee noted: “As long as the LRT is still functioning, it fulfills the role of a transportation mode, and I think the satisfaction will be there, regardless of whether people say there are issues with it. But if the LRT faces breakdowns and service disruptions, satisfaction levels will not be too high.”
Satisfaction levels with public buses increased from last year, registering a score of 64.9 points, a 2.23 point increase year-on-year.
Overall, the land transport sector saw an increase of 0.99 points to 67.8 points, from the same period last year. The sector comprises the MRT system, public buses, taxi services and transport booking apps.
The ISE study was conducted between April and July this year, and polled a total of 6,750 people, comprising 4,300 locals and 2,450 tourists.
