I REFER to last Friday's report, 'SMRT appeals against $387k
penalty' (March 21), in which the transport operator appealed to
the Land Transport Authority (LTA) to reduce its fine for an
accident which caused delays in its service on Jan 21 this
year.
I read with dismay at how the SMRT tried to appeal against the
fine by stating what had been done to mitigate the damage caused by
the seven-hour delay it had caused earlier this year.
This accident is clearly due to SMRT's negligence as its workers
had failed to engage the proper brakes on the repair train which
led to an accident that caused thousands to be late for school and
work.
Instead of being forthcoming and paying the penalty, I am
disappointed that the SMRT should ask for the fine to be reduced.
Being a daily commuter, I fully understand the anguish and
frustration when one is late for school or work because of a train
disruption.
The agony of watching the clock tick on while waiting for the
train to move; or looking at busloads full of people and being
unable to board, can be extremely distressing.
I urge the relevant authorities not to consider SMRT's appeal as
such negligence cannot be excused, especially from one of the
providers of our 'world-class transport system'.
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Shen Shifa
