Fine Lines a fine history of Singapore's metro

Under the Licensing and Operating Agreement (LOA) between the Land Transport Authority (LTA) and the service operators, SMRT and SBS Transit are required to adhere to the Operating Performance Standards (OPS) for service quality, safety and maintenance. Most notably, the OPS determines the severity of service disruptions as delays affecting more than 20,000 persons per incident.

Clause 10(2) of the LOA states that if the service operator fails to meet the OPS, it is liable to pay a penalty as imposed by LTA, up to a maximum of S$1 million. In calculating the penalty to be paid, LTA shall consider mitigating factors such as constraints of the relevant working network and infrastructure as well as passenger intervention, which are beyond the service operator's control (Committee of Inquiry report, p. 26, para. 78).

The service operators were fined for failing to meet the OPS: (in descending order of fine amount)

1. SMRT was fined a total of $2 million for two major disruptions on the North-South Line in December 2011, which affected 221,000 commuters. This marks the first time that the maximum penalty of $1 million per incident was meted out to a service operator under the Rapid Transit Systems Act.
2. SMRT was fined $900,000 for a service disruption on the East-West Line in January 2014 resulting from a failure to observe signal lights. A track point was damaged when the train passed a red signal light. The service disruption lasted more than an hour and affected 10,500 commuters. Latest
3. SMRT was fined $400,000 for a service disruption on the East-West Line in October 2013 resulting from a failure to observe signal lights. A track point was damaged when the train passed a red signal light. The service disruption lasted nearly an hour and affected 10,000 commuters. Latest
4. SBS Transit was fined $400,000 for a major disruption on the North-East Line in March 2012, which lasted 11 hours and affected 117,000 commuters. This was SBS Transit's first fine since it started rail operations in 2003.
5. SMRT was fined $387,176 for a major disruption on the East-West Line in January 2008, which lasted 7 hours and affected 57,000 commuters.
6. SMRT was fined $300,000 for an electrical fire that broke out near Newton station in February 2013, which resulted in a service disruption that lasted more than 2 hours and affected 17,700 commuters.
7. SBS Transit was fined $250,000 for a failed train push-out incident on the North East Line on 19 June 2013, which resulted in a service disruption that lasted more than 2 hours and affected 54,900 commuters. The incident occurred on one of the worst nights in the June haze, where the 3-hourly Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) hit 321 at 10pm.
8. SMRT was fined $250,000 for maintenance lapses following the discovery of two corroded sections of Circle Line tracks in November 2012.
9. SMRT was fined $250,000 for safety lapses exposing workers to the risk of electrocution while carrying out track works at Ulu Pandan depot in December 2012.
10. SMRT was fined $200,000 for a service disruption on the North-South Line in January 2014. Investigations found lapses by an SMRT technician and train captain. As a result of these lapses, there was no auxiliary electrical supply to the affected train. The service disruption lasted 1.5 hours and affected 19,000 commuters. Latest
11. SMRT was fined $100,000 for a service disruption on the North-South Line in May 2014. Traction power could not be turned on that morning because sleeper replacement workers had failed to remove a Short Circuiting Clamp that was installed. The service disruption lasted 50 minutes and affected 1,000 commuters. Latest
12. SMRT was fined $60,000 for a train launching incident that delayed Bukit Panjang LRT service for more than 2 hours in July 2013.
13. SBS Transit was fined $50,000 for a service disruption on the North-East Line in March 2014. Non-critical maintenance works caused a short circuit that disrupted the traction power supply. The service disruption lasted 40 minutes and affected 5,900 commuters. Latest
14. In 2002, SMRT was fined $10,000 when the Bukit Panjang LRT failed to meet the 99.7 percent service availability standard.
15. In 2001, SMRT was fined $10,000 when the Bukit Panjang LRT service broke down six times in nine months.
16. SMRT was fined $10,000 for a train collision on the Bukit Panjang LRT in November 2000. 3 people were hurt and the power rail at Phoenix station was damaged. This was the first fine ever to be meted out to a service operator.
17. LTA is investigating the train breakdown on the North-East Line in August 2012. Almost 2 years later (as of July 2014), LTA still has not announced its final investigation results, or whether SBS Transit would be penalised for this incident.