LTA may take action against SMRT over ACS rugby charter

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http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/lta-may-take-action-against-smrt-over-acs-rugby-charter

The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is looking into taking action against SMRT for letting Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) charter five of its trains to transport students and staff to the National Schools ‘C’ Division rugby final match yesterday at the new National Stadium.

The public transport operator had failed to seek the necessary approval from the authorities, an LTA spokesperson said in response to media queries.

Under its licence to operate the Circle Line, SMRT must obtain approval if it wishes to provide train services that are not open to the public.

TODAY understands that for all MRT lines, approval from the authorities is required if a public transport operator wishes to offer services beyond its core business of providing train services to the public.

When contacted, SMRT did not say if it knew it had to seek approval.

SMRT also said no passenger services were affected and train intervals were maintained at normal service levels at all times. Chartered trains are injected in between normal services and run only during off-peak hours.

It added that only one-way services were provided to ACS (I), as the return journey would have taken place during peak hours. It is understood that the chartered trains would not have been in service otherwise.

ACS (I) chartered the trains to transport 3,000 of its students and staff to the match, which was the first school final to be held at the new National Stadium at the Sports Hub.

The move provoked a flurry of both dismay and support from the public, with some questioning whether some schools were getting special treatment and whether SMRT could have put the additional trains to better use for the public. Others felt it was an efficient way of transporting students without affecting road traffic.