SINGAPORE: Leong Mun Wai, former Non-Constituency Member of Parliament and Secretary-General of the Progress Singapore Party, has urged Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow to investigate whether systemic or cultural issues exist within Singapore’s public transport operators.
In a Facebook post published on 7 August 2025, Leong responded to Siow’s recent remarks following a series of MRT and LRT service disruptions.
Siow had described the disruptions as “disappointing” and assured the public that the “One Transport family” remains committed to strengthening the rail system.
Siow made these comments following a major breakdown on the East-West MRT Line on 6 August, which lasted for five hours during the morning peak.
The disruption severely affected commuters and has added to growing public frustration over recent incidents.
While Siow acknowledged commuter dissatisfaction and the need for better communication during such events, he also stated that it is not possible to completely eliminate delays.
Then-Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat rejects COI on 3 MRT disruptions in Feb 2025, citing no systemic issues with operators
Leong, however, criticised this response.
“A promise that the public transport industry can and will do better is not enough,” he wrote in his post.
He referred to his earlier parliamentary exchange in February 2025 with then Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat, during which he had asked whether the government would convene a Committee of Inquiry (COI) after three MRT delays occurred in less than a week.
At that time, Chee rejected the proposal for a COI.
He reiterated the government’s stance from October 2024, stating that the Land Transport Authority, as the regulator, is fully empowered to conduct independent investigations.
Chee further assured Parliament that LTA’s findings from the East-West Line’s September 2024 six-day breakdown would be made public upon completion.
He also argued that the February incidents were isolated and not indicative of systemic faults within SMRT or SBS Transit.
Fresh disruptions make government’s rejection of COI ‘less convincing’
Leong on 7 August questioned this explanation, stating that the subsequent spate of breakdowns makes the government’s position less convincing.
In addition to the 6 August disruption, the Thomson-East Coast Line also suffered a one-hour service delay due to a signalling fault on 1 July.
Furthermore, two separate power faults in July led to full suspensions of the Bukit Panjang LRT service.
“These multiple incidents raise concerns about deeper issues,” Leong said.
“I urge the new Acting Minister to reconsider the government’s position and investigate whether there are systemic or cultural issues contributing to these repeated breakdowns.”
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