🚇 Leadership Matters More Than Tracks: When a 15-Minute MRT Ride Becomes an Hour of Confusion – Newsletter #27《地铁维修之上，更重要的是领导力：一小时的混乱》#27 领英刊文

In Singapore, we pride ourselves on efficient transport. But beneath the surface of punctuality and planning lies a disconnect that only reveals itself when things go wrong. My recent experience with my family of four during a train fault between Yishun and Sembawang exposed a harsh truth: maintenance alone isn’t enough—leadership that prioritizes commuters is what truly counts.

新加坡一直以高效的公共交通系统自豪。然而，在一切表面井然有序的背后，问题在真正发生时才暴露出来。我和家人在义顺至三巴旺一段的列车故障中切身经历到：光靠维修是不够的，真正重要的是以乘客为中心的领导力。

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🚦 What Happened?

《发生了什么？》

From 2:24PM onwards, SMRT posted that there was a 10-minute delay due to a track point fault. Social media updates assured us that regular trains were still running and that free bus services were provided between Yishun and Woodlands. We trusted the system.

至下午2点24分后，SMRT发文称因轨道故障列车延误10分钟，并提供从义顺到兀兰的免费巴士接驳服务。我们选择相信系统的信息。

But what should have been a smooth 15-minute journey turned into a confusing, exhausting, 1-hour ordeal—running up and down between the train platform and the bus interchange multiple times with our kids in tow.

然而，原本15分钟的行程却变成了混乱又疲惫的一个小时——我们带着孩子在车站和巴士站之间来回奔波。

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👣 Others Experienced the Same

《我们不是个例》

A commuter, Melvin Tsang, shared the exact same frustration online—caught in a loop of miscommunication and inaction. Another rider pointed out how bus captains insisted on card tapping despite announcements of free rides, resulting in commuters paying twice.

另一位乘客 Melvin Tsang 在社交媒体上也表达了同样的无奈——在信息混乱和缺乏协调中原地打转。还有人反映，即便官方说有免费巴士，一些司机仍要求刷卡，导致乘客重复付费。

My own family of four experienced this firsthand. Due to the multiple entries and exits across different stations while following SMRT staff instructions, we walked up and down, to and from multiple times. This led to another exhausting leg of our journey—being shuttled between security staff, control stations, and the SimplyGo counter to seek refunds. There was evident confusion on the ground over how such refunds should be handled, and staff across different touchpoints had differing responses.

我一家四口也遇到类似情况。由于按照SMRT员工的指示多次进出车站，导致我们反复走了好几遍。为此，我们不得不在保安人员、控制站和SimplyGo服务柜台之间来回奔波以申请退款。现场对于如何处理退款似乎缺乏统一指引，不同岗位的员工给出的答案也不一致。

Fortunately, a control station officer eventually stepped in with a manual override, resolving the matter professionally and ensuring we left with a positive impression—despite the hour-long delay.

幸运的是，一位控制站职员最后介入并通过人工方式解决了问题，展现了专业与责任心，让我们在经历一小时耽误后，仍能带着一丝正面体验离开。

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🙏 Staff Were Polite, But Systemically Let Down

《员工态度很好，但系统流程令人失望》

We must be fair—the SMRT staff we encountered were polite, patient, and trying their best. This is not a failure of frontline workers. This is a systemic failure of leadership and disruption protocols.

必须公道地说，我们遇到的SMRT员工都非常有礼貌，也尽力协助。这不是一线员工的问题，而是高层指挥及应急流程的系统性失败。

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💸 “We Don’t Want Over-Maintenance”: A Question of Priorities

《“我们不能过度维修”：这是优先级的问题》

In a recent public statement, SMRT Chairman Seah Moon Ming said:

“We don’t want over-maintenance… We need to balance rail reliability with costs.” “我们不能过度维修……我们必须在轨道可靠性与成本之间取得平衡。”

。But what does that “balance” mean for families like mine and countless others left stranded and confused? What is the true cost of “efficiency” when people are late for work, students are anxious, and parents are left helpless?

但这种“平衡”，对像我们这样的家庭而言意味着什么？当人们误了班、学生焦虑、父母无助时，这种所谓的“效率”到底成本几何？

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🤝 Call for Leadership That Listens and Leads

《呼吁倾听民意、以人为本的领导力》

Operational hiccups will happen. But what we cannot accept is a leadership mindset that sees commuter experience as secondary to financial metrics.

It’s time we redesign disruption protocols:

• Empower staff with real-time updates synced across stations and bus captains
• Automatically waive fare deductions during affected hours
• Set up clear on-ground navigation signage and announcements
• Appoint incident commanders with authority to direct ground staff in real-time

运营出状况在所难免，但我们不能接受的是领导层把乘客体验放在次要位置。 我们必须重塑故障应对机制：

• 向员工提供跨站点同步的实时信息
• 受影响时段内自动免除费用扣款
• 增设现场导引与清晰广播
• 指派实地指挥官，统一调度指令

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🧭 Final Thought: Move From Metrics to Meaning

《从数字导向转向意义导向》

CEO Ngien Hoon Ping has been known for his focus on KPIs and financial performance. But real public service isn’t about spreadsheet efficiency—it’s about whether our elderly, our children, and our working adults can move safely and reliably through their daily lives.

SMRT首席执行官黄循平以重视绩效与财务指标而著称。但真正的公共服务，不是追求报表上的效率，而是让我们的老人、小孩和上班族能安心、顺利地出行。

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📣 We don’t need perfect trains. But we need accountable leadership.

《我们不要求完美无缺的列车，但我们需要负责任的领导层。》

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#LeadershipMatters #PublicTransport #MRTDisruption #SMRT #SingaporeTransport #OperationalExcellence #CustomerExperience #BilingualVoices #AccountabilityMatters

👤 Who is Mar Vin, Foo?

胡马宾的呼唤：一位实干者的洞察与追问

Read my full background here → 我的阅历

I’m a former public sector practitioner turned commentator. My prior roles include:

• Leading and fixing real-time bus arrival tech
• Observer whose proposal to suspend rail operations during the SMRT reliability crisis was taken up 3 months after public social media post
• Leading contractual negotiations on major road infrastructure projects
• Supporting COVID strategy to flatten the infection curve and secure hospital capacity
• Bridging the gap between policy and people
• 解决 公共巴士到站时间实时追踪问题，提升通勤体验
• 改善 地铁系统可靠性，于地铁事故频发年代坚守岗位
• 主导 陆路基础设施的合同谈判与关系管理，处理复杂多方利益冲突
• 在 新冠疫情时期参与卫生政策对接，提倡政府确保病床资源充足、压平感染曲线

Today, I write to advocate for responsive governance, sustainability, and Singaporeans who want better, not just more.

今天，我写作，是为了激发跨代共鸣与行动，为国家寻找真正前行的方向。

P.S: The time is 5:47pm with train delay extending for more than 3 hours and finally resumed as I published this article.

我现在把刊文上传网上；时间是5点47分，地铁延误已经持续超过三个小时，也终于告一个段落了，恢复正常服务了。

This article is also published on LinkedIn. For more interesting stories, articles and insights, please visit marvinfoo.com‘s blog section.

这篇刊文也发布在领英社交媒体。若想阅读更多类似的文章，请点击此处游览【胡马宾的博客页面】。