Can we revert to the old signal system?

With the benefit of hindsight, it seems to be quite clear now that it was a bad decision to introduce a new signalling system.

It seemed to be an important contributor to the frequent breakdowns of the trains.

Although we have other contributors, such as train fault and track fault, it seems that the signal fault is the biggest contributor.

There is nothing much that we do to prevent train fault and track fault, which most probably arise due to age.

But the signal fault was caused by a decision to change to a new signal system.

The old signal system served us for three decades. Why change the signal system?

My guess is that they want to introduce driverless operations, similar to the new lines. This may seemed a good idea at the time that the decision was taken.

With the benefit of hindsight, it seemed to be a bad idea. It has caused far too many problems. And the problems seemed endless.

The question is - can we revert back to the old signal system?

My guess is that the old system requires drivers to operate the trains. It does not rely on the signal system to the same extent.

Maybe we are short of train drivers? Maybe many of them have been retrenched or resigned?

In the absence of reliable information, it is not possible for any outsider to give any sensible assessment. I will not want to pass any judgment under these circumstances.

I only want to say that this kind of massive problem require people with the skill of problem solving. They need to get the reliable information and solve the problem using an interactive, learning approach.

I am sure that our scholars have passed top marks with their problem solving skills in class. Here is a real life challenge for them to deal with.

Tan Kin Lian