Losses mount for rail operator SMRT Trains, as maintenance expenditure now accounts for 71% of rail-fare revenue, up from 45% just three years ago.
Commuters taking the North-South and East-West Line should expect longer train service intervals and early closures at selected stations from April to June.
The Bukit Panjang LRT network will close earlier at 11:30pm daily from 13 January to allow engineers to step up maintenance and system renewal works.
Train service between Gul Circle and Boon Lay stations on the East-West Line was delayed after an SMRT employee was injured while carrying out maintenance work.
SMRT has appointed two chief maintenance officers and one chief operations officer to strengthen its maintenance regime and engineering capabilities.
SMRT will be outsourcing more non-rail maintenance work such as the servicing of tunnel pumps, air-conditioning and tunnel ventilation systems.
SMRT has fired eight staff and taken disciplinary action against three others involved in the falsification of maintenance records for an anti-flooding system.
The failure of a group of SMRT staff to carry out maintenance duties leading to an MRT tunnel flooding in October had negated the good work of others.
The SMRT team responsible for maintaining a train tunnel pump system that malfunctioned may have falsified records.
SMRT has announced that it plans to hire 40 percent more rail engineers by 2020 and set up readiness inspection teams to audit maintenance works.
In response to last Saturday's tunnel flooding, SMRT has announced that it has replaced a senior executive in charge of maintenance and systems.
A safety procedure to bring oncoming trains to a stop when maintenance staff are crossing the trackway did not take place, resulting in the death of two.
Train operator SMRT has launched an integrated maintenance operations centre (MOC) that will coordinate recovery efforts in the event of rail disruptions.
Khaw Boon Wan stresses the need to ramp up investment in rail maintenance, to close gap to match reliability standards of Hong Kong's MTR.
In a bid to humanise the company, a new advertising campaign by SMRT is being fronted by its rail maintenance and operation staff.