Why Taipei’s MRT trumps Singapore’s
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Why Taipei’s MRT trumps Singapore’s
TAIPEI’S CITY Hall is so proud of its mass rapid transit (MRT) system that it runs a competition every year, asking people to send in poems about the MRT. I can see why. The MRT is clean and comfortable (in addition to chewing gum, the nasty habit of betel chewing nut has been banned). People queue up in a civilised fashion before boarding trains. And, when the doors open, they don’t barge in before passengers can exit.Signs and announcements are in Chinese and English and all carriages have electronic displays showing which station is coming up next. Every carriage has special seats for old folks, pregnant women or people with disabilities. I’ve never seen fit, young people pretending to be asleep in these seats.However, the best part about Taipei’s MRT is its frequency. According to Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC), the company that runs the system, trains arrive at two to four-minute intervals at peak hours. Off-peak, it is four to seven minutes.In reality, it is much more frequent. I know because I’ve timed it. At peak hours, trains come as often as every minute. As for off-peak hours? Well, I’ve never had to wait more than three or four minutes. As a result, even during the morning rush hour, the trains are never as packed as they are in Singapore.TRTC has won praise not just locally but internationally. It has been ranked No 1 for reliability for four straight years (2004 to 2007), according to the Nova/CoMET International Railway Benchmarking Group (of which Singapore’s SMRT Corp is also part).All this got me wondering just how TRTC is able to deliver such a world-class MRT service. Perhaps, it doesn’t have to transport as many people as in the crowded Lion City? Perhaps, it’s government-owned and isn’t under pressure to make as much money as possible and can run more trains?So, I pulled up some numbers (see table). And the broad conclusion is that Taipei proves it is possible to offer a high-quality, high-frequency and affordable MRT service without losing money. It also suggests that certain services, such as public transport, tend to function optimally as natural monopolies and ought not to be owned by companies that seek to maximise profits.Let’s look first at the one common element between the two: the cost of taking a train. Average ticket prices in Singapore and Taipei are about $1. This is pretty low by international standards, as anyone who has had the misfortune to take the London Underground knows.Singapore and Taipei are also pretty dense cities, but the latter packs more folks (5.5 million of them) into a smaller area (272 sq km). In comparison, Singapore is home to 4.6 million residents spread over some 692 sq km.As such, in terms of coverage, Singapore’s network of five MRT lines is more extensive, totalling 109.4km, versus TRTC’s 74.4km network. However, TRTC has more stations on its smaller network, which means less distance between stations and greater convenience for commuters.MORE TRAIN RUNS IN TAIPEIJust how many people take the MRT each day? In 2007, Singapore’s MRT moved an average of 1.56 million people a day. That’s just over a third more than what TRTC transported last year. So yes, TRTC’s network is smaller and it moves fewer people, which is one reason it feels less crowded.However, what is illuminating is the difference in frequency. Last year, TRTC made an average of 2,171 train runs a day. SMRT clocked in at just over 1,000 a day for its fiscal year ended March 2008. This is not strictly an apples with apples comparison. SMRT’s system is older, has heavier loads and travels further than TRTC’s — factors which play a role in how often trains can be run. The comparison also doesn’t include data from SBS Transit, which runs the North- East Line. But, as SMRT accounts for more than four fifths of total MRT ridership, it is fairly representative of the whole picture.Since February this year, SMRT has added about 900 extra train trips each week. According to the company, on average, its train frequency during peak hours is between two and five minutes. During off-peak hours, it is now between 3.5 and seven minutes. Given the existing signalling system and infrastructure, its average peak-hour frequency puts it among the top 20% of the world’s major metro operators, SMRT adds.
SMRT MORE PROFITABLEStill, it’s safe to assume that its bumped-up frequency continues to lag TRTC’s. And this, to an extent, is reflected in SMRT’s bottomline, which is much heftier than TRTC’s. In FY2008, SMRT’s rail operations saw revenue of $436.9 million. Earnings before interest and tax was $129.3 million. In comparison, TRTC saw approximately $415 million in fare revenue in 2007 and just $41.3 million in pre-tax profit.TRTC is 73.75% owned by the Taipei City Government. The Ministry of Transportation and Communications owns a further 17.14% while the Taipei County Government owns 8.75%. Clearly, public-listed SMRT’s returns on its rail operations are far better for its shareholders than TRTC’s. However, TRTC — which has been profitable every year except its first two — is better for its commuters, who have been inspired to pen a poem or two in praise of their well-regarded metro.Sunita Sue Leng, previously an associate editor at The Edge Singapore, is now based in Taipei and writes on Greater China issues
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is TRTC run as privately listed company??
abt 30% of singapore commuters on SMRT are foreigners, are they train to queue behind yellow lines before the door open? i dont taipei has that much foreigners by comparison.
anyway, i am not a supporters of SMRT either.
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i was also greatly impressed by the taipei mrt system. for a start, we can draw similar lines here like those in taipei to guide people to queue up. and i also notice that the lines for queues in taipei is on one side of the doors, leaving the other side for easier alighting by passengers. i also feel our stations are small compared to those in taipei... not sure if this is a fact.. those in taipei are spacious...
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Basically I have only one point to reply to.
Originally posted by kilua:As a result, even during the morning rush hour, the trains are never as packed as they are in Singapore.
Thats why i take bus.
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bus better lah
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i hate it when people barge in without letting the others exit first. fucking irritating for me.
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Originally posted by yourmotherrr:
i hate it when people barge in without letting the others exit first. fucking irritating for me.
maybe need police at all mrt station then they will learn. Thats the sad truth about life. -
Originally posted by yourmotherrr:
i hate it when people barge in without letting the others exit first. fucking irritating for me.
then you go piak those ppl lor..
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Originally posted by xstryker:
then you go piak those ppl lor..
piak piak at mrt station?
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Originally posted by reyes:
is TRTC run as privately listed company??
abt 30% of singapore commuters on SMRT are foreigners, are they train to queue behind yellow lines before the door open? i dont taipei has that much foreigners by comparison.
anyway, i am not a supporters of SMRT either.
TRTC is 73.75% owned by the Taipei City Government. The Ministry of Transportation and Communications owns a further 17.14% while the Taipei County Government owns 8.75%.
SMRT is 54.4% own by the Singapore government. Singapore Government is smarter because if they sell off some of their the shares they can pack the passengers like sardines to make profits.
The prime minister pretends to be concerned about the morning hour overcrowding when they own and can control the SMRT board and management.
Then you have to hear to lies from the transport minister that if the MRT is not publicly listed, it would be inefficient when so many countries have proved otherwise. Maybe what the Transport minister really meant was SMRT would not be efficient in making profits and packing passengers like sardines.
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Originally posted by NG QIBO AARON AUBREY:
piak piak at mrt station?
yeah -
we need to have a upgrade in the mrt system!!!!!
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we need to have a upgrade in the mrt system!!!!!
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TRTC is 73.75% owned by the Taipei City Government. The Ministry of Transportation and Communications owns a further 17.14% while the Taipei County Government owns 8.75%.
SMRT is 54.4% own by the Singapore government. Singapore Government is smarter because if they sell off some of their the shares they can pack the passengers like sardines to make profits.
The prime minister pretends to be concerned about the morning hour overcrowding when they own and can control the SMRT board and management.
Then you have to hear to lies from the transport minister that if the MRT is not publicly listed, it would be inefficient when so many countries have proved otherwise. Maybe what the Transport minister really meant was SMRT would not be efficient in making profits and packing passengers like sardines.
Edited by kilua 27 Dec `08, 3:57PMyup u already reply what i want to hear. it does not need to public transport company to get listed to get run smooth, efficient, and at the same time earn a decent profits. too bad our govt are just in here for the profits as their major concern!!!
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Nonsense.
SMRT is the best transport company in the whole wide world.
Maximum sardine packing into carriages translate to maximum profits.
Yes, take away more chairs.
Sooner or later, you don't even need signs (more savings for company) to tell you to give up your seats to the elderly because there won't be any seats to begin with.
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Originally posted by charlize:
Nonsense.
SMRT is the best transport company in the whole wide world.
Maximum sardine packing into carriages translate to maximum profits.
Yes, take away more chairs.
Sooner or later, you don't even need signs (more savings for company) to tell you to give up your seats to the elderly because there won't be any seats to begin with.
Cool.. take away all seats and bring our own chairs. Now this way, we no nd to give our seats to anyone... kekekekeke...
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Next time, MRT carriages will have "first class", "economy class" and "budget class" .
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PAP shall be fully ashamed of themselves.
WORLD CLASS TRANSPORT? World class when they compare themselves to vietnam and thailand...
When compare to advance countries/cities like germany or taipei. They will suck their thumb. Drawn world class salaries and can only make us slightly better than 3rd world countries???
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I'll tell you when our MRT system will top theirs. When all members of PTC, SMRT, and LTA take the MRT to work during peak hours.
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on the otherhand, our MRT is also much better than tokyo subway.
they are super compact sardines! but most men dont mind lor coz sometimes they can to get super close to chio chics. but in certain times, these chio chics get to squeese together in trains specially for women only! haiz!!