Keep MRT trains reliable but please improve the commuting experience too

The daily experience of moving through public transport matters just as much as whether we can fix delays and disruptions.

- Samuel Chng

At 7.45am on a weekday, an MRT train pulls into Outram Park. A senior waiting at the doorway hesitates as the crowd presses forward. Before she can step in, a young man signals for others to hold back and gently ushers her in. Nobody speaks, but several commuters give small nods of acknowledgment.

Scenes like this unfold countless times a day. They are often unnoticed and rarely celebrated. Yet they offer a glimpse into something important: How people behave in shared spaces, and what these micro-interactions say about the kind of society we want to be.

As the Land Transport Authority (LTA) begins its public consultation for the refresh of the Land Transport Master Plan (LTMP), this is a timely moment to reflect on the technical performance aspects of public transport and consider the larger experience of commuting - and how the LTMP can strengthen both.

For most people, public transport reliability is not an abstract metric - it is a lived reality. Delays, missed connections or crowded interchanges affect morale and work schedules, and for many, colour their trust in the system.

Data released by the LTA late last week highlighted dips in reliability on some MRT lines. Commuters feel this, and it is natural that many see “getting trains back on track” as a nonnegotiable priority.

Some commuters also share that taking the train during peak hours feels increasingly challenging, and they have had to wait two or three trains before they can board or even travel “backwards” just to get on a less crowded service. While these experiences are not universal, they are not isolated either.

They reflect how capacity pressures, uneven peak demands and crowding on certain stretches shape the experience of a journey. When people feel squeezed, rushed or uncertain about whether they can get on a train, the stress can quickly erode patience and weaken the very social norms that support considerate behaviour.