Committee of inquiry not needed as LTA probe is ongoing: Minister

No systemic issue or concern with rail operators that will alter stance, he says

- Esther Loi

There is no systemic issue with rail operators SBS Transit and SMRT regarding the three MRT delays in February, which are being investigated by the Land Transport Authority (LTA).

The Government will thus not convene a committee of inquiry (COI), said Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat.

"There isn't a systemic issue or concern with SBS Transit or SMRT that, I think, will change our position on the necessity for a COI," he added on Feb 26.

Mr Chee was responding in Parliament to a question by Progress Singapore Party Non-Constituency MP Leong Mun Wai about the three rail delays on the North-South, North East and Circle lines over a span of five days earlier in February.

Mr Leong had asked if Mr Chee would convene a COI for the three incidents, given that his previous call for a COI over a major East-West Line (EWL) breakdown was rejected.

Reiterating that LTA is looking into the root causes of the three incidents in February, Mr Chee said the authority will do its best to identify the learning points and share them with the operators.

He referred Mr Leong to his ministerial statement in October 2024, when he explained why a COI was not convened for the breakdown that led to a six-day disruption along a stretch of the EWL in September 2024, which affected about 2.6 million passengers.

He had said in October 2024 that LTA would do a thorough investigation to ascertain what happened and identify areas for improvement, as the regulator has the "necessary regulatory powers and technical knowledge" to investigate serious rail incidents. That probe is still under way.