Reader's Response draft 2

In the article “Dubbed the ‘best in class’: 6 things about Hong Kong's MTR rail system”, Lee (2015) reported that Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan claims that Hong Kong’s MTR is the ‘best in class’. Mr Khaw then further complimented Hong Kong’s rail system stating that SMRT and SBS transit should adopt Hong Kong’s practices. Examples are the Hong Kong government’s privatization of the MTR Corporation(MTRC) in 2000, which led to a decrease in budget and an increase in the competency of the public transportation. This provides room for the MTRC to allocate 37% of their profits to rail “maintenance, renewals and service improvements”, which is adequate as compared to Singapore’s 19%, as claimed by Mr Khaw. While the MTR has 155 stations across nine prime travelling lines over 221km, maintenance is conducted via a mobile transportation unit that scans for irregularities through “ultrasonic techniques” once every 3 days. This is more extensive than Singapore’s inspection routine despite Hong Kong’s lines being longer. The MTRC also has an Operations Control Centre (OCC) that monitors the entire system which is paramount to the organisation’s prompt response to emergencies. Therefore, with the enhanced monitoring system, trains in Hong Kong are more effective and efficient than in Singapore.

The article expresses that for Singapore’s railway transportation’s reliability to match Hong Kong’s MTR, they need to adopt MTR’s practices. However, I disagree with the writer, due to the different business model of the railway operators and number of rail operators varying in each country, it is impractical to just copy Hong Kong’s MTR without careful analysis.

First and foremost, the business model of Hong Kong’s MTR is a rail plus property whereas Singapore’s railway operators are solely on transportation. A rail plus property model means profits made comes from both the operation of the train systems and the development of property (Hoe,2016). In 2014, of all the profit generated by MTR, only one-third, about 7 billion came from its’ transport operations (Kenneth Lim, 2015). Thus, with this financial advantage, MTR can implement railway projects quickly without having to fight for public funds (Lincoln Leong, June 2016) whereas it is not the same for Singapore's SMRT and SBS. Therefore, it is impractical for SMRT and SBS to directly adopt MTR 's practices without careful analysis.

Next, will be the number of operators varying in each country, Singapore having two rail operators (SMRT and SBS) whereas Hong Kong having only one (MTR). In 2007, MTR and Kowloon–Canton Railway Corporation merger to form MTR (Merger, 2013), the merger allows MTR to have vast resources at their disposal, this helps to reduce cost by removing replications to create a sole superior system of railways. By being the sole operator, implementation of maintenance project comes with ease as compared to trying to get two operators to standardise on a specify maintenance regime. Consequently, Singapore’s approach for public transportation will naturally differ from MTR’s.

In conclusion, I feel that the government ought to be selective when attempting to implement practices taken from other countries, as there are many variables that will alter the efficiency and effectiveness when it is integrated into Singapore’s context. Therefore, it is impractical to just copy Hong Kong’s MTR practices without the proper analysis of the whole situation.
(543 Words)



References
H. PS (2016, December 30). The model behind HK MTR's gold standard. Retrieved September 27, 2017, from http://www.businesstimes.com.sg/transport/the-model-behind-hk-mtrs-gold-standard
L. K. (2015, December 20). Singapore's train system: What needs to be done to ensure a smoother ride? Read more at http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/singapore-s-train-system-what-needs-to-be-done-to-ensure-a-smoot-8246388. Retrieved September 27, 2017, from http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/singapore-s-train-system-what-needs-to-be-done-to-ensure-a-smoot-8246388
L. L. (2016, June). The ‘Rail plus Property’ model: Hong Kong’s successful self-financing formula. Retrieved September 27, 2017, from https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/capital-projects-and-infrastructure/our-insights/the-rail-plus-property-model
Lee Min Kok (29 October 2015). Dubbed 'the best in class':6 things about Hong Kong's MTR rail system. Retrieved 15 September 2017, from http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/dubbed-the-best-in-class-6-things-about-hong-kongs-mtr-rail-system#xtor=CS1-10
The merger of MTR and KCR Systems. (2013, November 2). Retrieved October 1, 2017, from http://www.thb.gov.hk/eng/policy/transport/issues/pmmks.htm


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