SMRT to face massive fines on service disruption

$1 million could be levied if the trains break down again..

According to OCBC, the list of recommendations included in the full report of the Committee of Inquiry (COI) findings did not yield any surprises and this development is deemed a positive for SMRT. Most of the COI's 14 recommendations on engineering and maintenance issues have been proactively addressed by SMRT in its S$900m upgrading and renewal plan announced two months ago.

Here's more from OCBC:

While the cost burden issue between the company and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) has yet to be finalized, we have already made conservative provisions in our estimates. With the conclusion of the COI, what remains is the Government's response to the report on 9 Jul's Parliament sitting, and the implementation of a fine on SMRT for the service disruptions.

In our view, the latter will come into play after the Ministerial Statement, and we could expect to see a maximum fine of S$1m per incident levied onto SMRT for a resulting S$2m impact on its books in the following quarter (2QFY12). 

Join Singapore Business Review community
A NOTE FROM SINGAPORE BUSINESS REVIEW

If you've been wondering whether SBR could work for your company — yes, probably.

A lot of the companies we partner with started as readers. They'd been following our coverage for a while, saw their own customers and competitors in it, and eventually asked the obvious question: could we do something with you? The answer is usually yes. The shape of it depends on what you're trying to do.


The options are broader than most people assume — thought leadership articles, sponsored content, industry summits across Southeast Asia, regional awards programmes, podcasts, and media placements in print and digital. Some partners use one channel; most use a mix. We figure out the right combination by starting with your brief, not with our rate card.


So if the question has been on your mind, here's the easy way to ask it.

We'll tell you honestly whether we can help, and how. It's a better use of everyone's time.