SINGAPORE: SMRT’s new chief executive officer Neo Kian Hong said he is confident of earning back the public's trust, as he pledged to give up his car and rely on public transport.
“As long as we focus on delivering the reliability, over time we should be able to regain (the public's) confidence," Mr Neo said on Monday (Aug 13) in his first interview with the media since his appointment.
AdvertisementMr Neo was speaking on the sidelines of a visit to SMRT’s Bishan depot, where he was briefed on the new batch of C151C trains.
SMRT has been at the heart of several high-profile incidents in recent times, including a train collision at Joo Koon MRT station last November and a flooded MRT tunnel in October.
[h=3]READ: 'Happy to be part of the team': Neo Kian Hong writes to staff on his first day as SMRT CEO[/h][h=3]READ: SMRT defends Neo Kian Hong's appointment, cites new chief's 'personal values' and 'leadership qualities' [/h] AdvertisementAdvertisementMr Neo said he has set out three goals for the company - providing reliability, creating sustainability and ensuring continuous improvement.
Mr Neo described reliability of services as a “basic requirement” that the transport operator will need to provide under his leadership. “As a trains company, we will be focused on delivering safe and reliable train services,” he said.
GIVING UP HIS CAR
Mr Neo also told reporters that he has given up his car and will rely on public transport.
“I sold my car earlier on but I didn’t want to buy a new car, because it is more useful for me to take the MRT to understand the issues and take our company’s assets like our taxis and buses,” he explained.
SMRT CEO Neo Kian Hong shakes hands with Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan. (Photo: SMRT)
He also revealed that his family moved to a new home because of his new role.
“It’s because of this job. I moved near Shunfu just to make sure I can take the trains to work and it's easier for me and my family can support me in doing this,” he added.
Mr Neo replaced former CEO Desmond Kuek, who spent five-and-a-half years heading the transport company.
"CONFIDENT HE WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE": SMRT CHAIRMAN
During his visit to Bishan depot, Mr Neo was accompanied by SMRT chairman Seah Moon Ming, Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan and Land Transport Authority (LTA) deputy chief executive for infrastructure and development Chua Chong Kheng.
Mr Seah said that Mr Neo understood the mission of the company, and is an individual who sees his role as a “duty” to the company and the public.
“I am confident that he will make a difference to SMRT,” said Mr Seah. “He is competent to lead and run large organisations well. Over the last two months during the leadership transition, he has worked the ground and understands the ground challenges.”
SMRT has had to defend its appointment of Mr Neo even before he officially took over the reins, with SMRT's vice-president for corporate communications Margaret Teo citing the senior civil servant's "personal values" and "leadership qualities" as key reasons for his appointment on Apr 21.
Ms Teo's letter was in response to a Straits Times forum letter published two days before, in which its author Dr Michael Loh Toon Seng said that he was "disappointed" that SMRT had chosen "another chief executive" without "relevant experience".
However, Mr Neo said that he has received positive feedback since his appointment was announced.
“The public has been very supportive,” he said. “Many have come to me and expressed a lot of support. They have also expressed that they are very proud of the rail and that they want us to continue to improve it.”
[h=3]READ: Thomson-East Coast Line trains to feature tip-up seats, LCD route maps[/h][h=3]READ: New fleet to replace 66 oldest MRT trains from 2021[/h]MEETING COMMUTER DEMAND
Mr Neo revealed that six new trains will be added to the North-South and East-West Lines (NSEWL) next month, with another six to be introduced in early 2019.
This is in order to “add capacity to meet commuter demand”.
SMRT CEO Neo Kian Hong (third from right) and Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan listen to a briefing in a new train. (Photo: Matthew Mohan)
These 12 new MRT trains will be the first in Singapore to have "tip-up seats" to create more standing space for commuters during peak hours.
The new NSEWL trains will have four sets of three tip-up seats located in the centre of each car.
The seats will be folded during morning and evening peak periods, and unfolded during off-peak hours to increase seating capacity. This can only be done by the train driver.
The trains, which will also carry LTA's logo for the first time, will have red and green stripes - the colours of the NSEWL - against a white background.
Let's block ads! (Why?)
More...
“As long as we focus on delivering the reliability, over time we should be able to regain (the public's) confidence," Mr Neo said on Monday (Aug 13) in his first interview with the media since his appointment.
AdvertisementMr Neo was speaking on the sidelines of a visit to SMRT’s Bishan depot, where he was briefed on the new batch of C151C trains.
SMRT has been at the heart of several high-profile incidents in recent times, including a train collision at Joo Koon MRT station last November and a flooded MRT tunnel in October.
[h=3]READ: 'Happy to be part of the team': Neo Kian Hong writes to staff on his first day as SMRT CEO[/h][h=3]READ: SMRT defends Neo Kian Hong's appointment, cites new chief's 'personal values' and 'leadership qualities' [/h] AdvertisementAdvertisementMr Neo said he has set out three goals for the company - providing reliability, creating sustainability and ensuring continuous improvement.
Mr Neo described reliability of services as a “basic requirement” that the transport operator will need to provide under his leadership. “As a trains company, we will be focused on delivering safe and reliable train services,” he said.
GIVING UP HIS CAR
Mr Neo also told reporters that he has given up his car and will rely on public transport.
“I sold my car earlier on but I didn’t want to buy a new car, because it is more useful for me to take the MRT to understand the issues and take our company’s assets like our taxis and buses,” he explained.
He also revealed that his family moved to a new home because of his new role.
“It’s because of this job. I moved near Shunfu just to make sure I can take the trains to work and it's easier for me and my family can support me in doing this,” he added.
Mr Neo replaced former CEO Desmond Kuek, who spent five-and-a-half years heading the transport company.
"CONFIDENT HE WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE": SMRT CHAIRMAN
During his visit to Bishan depot, Mr Neo was accompanied by SMRT chairman Seah Moon Ming, Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan and Land Transport Authority (LTA) deputy chief executive for infrastructure and development Chua Chong Kheng.
Mr Seah said that Mr Neo understood the mission of the company, and is an individual who sees his role as a “duty” to the company and the public.
“I am confident that he will make a difference to SMRT,” said Mr Seah. “He is competent to lead and run large organisations well. Over the last two months during the leadership transition, he has worked the ground and understands the ground challenges.”
SMRT has had to defend its appointment of Mr Neo even before he officially took over the reins, with SMRT's vice-president for corporate communications Margaret Teo citing the senior civil servant's "personal values" and "leadership qualities" as key reasons for his appointment on Apr 21.
Ms Teo's letter was in response to a Straits Times forum letter published two days before, in which its author Dr Michael Loh Toon Seng said that he was "disappointed" that SMRT had chosen "another chief executive" without "relevant experience".
However, Mr Neo said that he has received positive feedback since his appointment was announced.
“The public has been very supportive,” he said. “Many have come to me and expressed a lot of support. They have also expressed that they are very proud of the rail and that they want us to continue to improve it.”
[h=3]READ: Thomson-East Coast Line trains to feature tip-up seats, LCD route maps[/h][h=3]READ: New fleet to replace 66 oldest MRT trains from 2021[/h]MEETING COMMUTER DEMAND
Mr Neo revealed that six new trains will be added to the North-South and East-West Lines (NSEWL) next month, with another six to be introduced in early 2019.
This is in order to “add capacity to meet commuter demand”.
These 12 new MRT trains will be the first in Singapore to have "tip-up seats" to create more standing space for commuters during peak hours.
The new NSEWL trains will have four sets of three tip-up seats located in the centre of each car.
The seats will be folded during morning and evening peak periods, and unfolded during off-peak hours to increase seating capacity. This can only be done by the train driver.
The trains, which will also carry LTA's logo for the first time, will have red and green stripes - the colours of the NSEWL - against a white background.
Let's block ads! (Why?)
More...