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Hello welcome to my site. Some disclaimers first: Everything written down here are just my pea's worth of opinion. You are not to take anything I mentioned against me. And I do not need your validation to live, for the record. :)
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Icon: LJ/sixthmile
Layout: tuesdaynight
Inspiration: DayBefore!Misery
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Written on: Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Time: 7:57 PM
Ah, here's another dumb letter to the Straits Times Forum to reply.
Are lower train fares possible? Look to HK
FOLLOWING the merger of Hong Kong's two major train operators, the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) and the Mass Transit Railway Corporation, the territory's government has announced a reduction in fares.
According to a press statement of the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region dated Nov 22 on its website, http://www.news.gov.hk/en/category/infrastructureandlogistics/071122/pda/071122en06009.htm, 'About 2.8 million commuters will enjoy lower fares from Dec 2 when Hong Kong's two rail companies merge. Annual fare concessions are expected to reach HK$600 million.
'The Mass Transit Railway Corporation's Octopus smart-card users (Hong Kong's version of the ez-link card), will see fare reductions, with more than half enjoying a 5 per cent saving. All adult Octopus cardholders will pay 20 cents less per trip minimum, while long-distance fares at $12 or above will be cut by at least 10 per cent...
'With the removal of a second boarding charge, passengers interchanging between the Mass Transit Railway and Kowloon-Canton Railway networks will have fares cut by up to $7.'
I have been using Hong Kong's railways at all hours for the past fortnight and I find that the frequency of trains ranges between one and three minutes. Although it is winter now (temperature between 19 and 25 deg C), the air-conditioning in the trains functions very well in spite of the heavy commuter traffic. In addition, the trains are relatively clean and well maintained and the images of the live programmes on mobile television installed in the KCR trains are always clear and smooth.
In contrast, Singapore's trains arrive every five to eight minutes and the air-conditioning leaves much to be desired, especially for aboveground journeys in the afternoons.
Yet, we have been told constantly by our transport operators and the Public Transport Council that fares have to go up annually because of higher oil prices, inflation and the higher cost of maintenance. Perhaps it is time for the Government and industry in Singapore to learn from Hong Kong.
Liew Kai Khiun
Hong Kong
As promised, here's my reply:
I refer to the letter dated Nov 24, 2007 by Mr Liew Kai Khiun from Hong Kong and I wish to clarify some things he has said about the "goodness of the merger of MTR and KCRC".
I am elated by the merger of Hong Kong's leading transport operators and passing on the happiness down to the commuters.
However, Mr Liew's source seems to be flawed as quoted, "Passengers taking certain long-distance trips can save up to $35%, like those travelling from Tin Shui Wai to Sha Tin who currently pay $23.30, they will save $8.20 after the merger." As a Hong Konger, Mr Liew ought to know that Tin Shui Wai is located on the KCR West Rail and Sha Tin is located on the KCR East Rail. As such, he would need to get to Sha Tin from Tin Shui Wai by interchanging with the Tseun Wan Line at Mei Foo station and again at Tsim Sha Tsui. This requires Mr Liew to tap his Octopus for 3 journeys. First at Tin Shui Wai itself, followed by Mei Foo and lastly Tsim Sha Tsui. This is so because Hong Kong does not have an integrated seamless transfer between 2 companies. Let me cite an example. At Dhoby Ghaut, passengers need not get out of the station before boarding the North-East Line operated by SBSTransit even though they are transfering from the North-South Line or the Circle Line which is operated by SMRT.
The same thing cannot be said of passengers who wish to go to Johor Bahru by train. One would need to alight at Tanjong Pagar MRT Station, walk a few hundred meters and reach Tanjung Pagar Railway Station to buy another ticket. This sort of thing is currently, at time of writing, happening in Hong Kong.
The discount does not apply to passengers who travel on the old MTR, old West Rail and old East Rail itself, that is to say, no interchange with the old company. For example, if Mr Liew is traveling from Tung Chung to Po Lam, there will not be a change in fare even though it is a long distance journey.
Mr Liew is also wrong to say that the MTR frequency "ranges between one and three minutes". Although a train arrives within 30 seconds on the Tseun Wan, Kwun Tong, Island and Tseung Kwan O lines, an off peak train frequency on them is at 4 minutes. For the Airport Express, it is fixed at 12 minutes, the Tung Chung Line is at 8 minutes and the Disneyland Resort Line, 10 minutes.
Mr Liew also said that the air-conditioning in the trains functions well even in Winter. What Mr Liew does not realise is that it is precisely because it is winter that the environment is cold and also that an average line crosses the harbour at least once a trip.
I have no doubt on the cleanliness of the trains but the programmes on the KCR trains are not "live" as Mr Liew said but rather a VCD that is played 14 times a day. About 66% of commuters have also complained about the volume of the television being too loud. Mr Liew also does not realise that the trainsets of all the lines have been refurbished because of the 25th Anniversary of the MTR and because China is also advancing with the world towards the 21st Century.
Singapore trains arrive between 1-10 minutes, depending on which line and at what time, unlike what Mr Liew said about our trains arriving "every 5-8 minutes".
As Singapore is a relatively small country which imposes a 100% tax for imports on oil, there is no doubt that oil in Singapore would cost more than the rest of the world. What Mr Liew does not notice is that like Hong Kong, Singapore is refurbishing all her Kawasaki Nippon Sharyo trainsets too.
In my eyes, just as Singapore has no doubt to learn from Hong Kong, there are some things that Hong Kong should learn from Singapore as well. First, the platform gaps in between the train and the platform is too wide, causing passengers to trip and get their prams/wheelchairs caught in it. Hong Kong should replace her turnstiles with automatic flaps so that those carrying bulky items would not have to injure themselves while pushing the turnstile. Escalators and elevators should be installed at all the underground exits, compared to strictly staircases at all the underground exits now.
I thank Mr Liew for giving me this opportunity to clarify this matter.
Should I submit this letter to the Straits Times Forum?
Time: 7:49 PM
Okay... I just received a complain on unstoppable music, so there. A pause button.
Can? xD
Written on: Monday, November 26, 2007
Time: 6:58 PM
S'poreans found dead after Cambodia boat accident: police
TEN minutes before 8am on Sunday, the river gave up its first victim.
Fishermen trawling the waters of Cambodia's Tonle Sap found the body of Mr Chee Wei Cheng, 20, washed up on an island a few kilometres south of where his dragon boat had capsized on Friday.
In the end, after divers had searched for nearly 40 hours, the river discharged all five missing young men in less than four.
By noon, all had been recovered: first Mr Chee, then Mr Jeremy Goh Tze Xiong, 24; Mr Stephen Loh Soon Ann, 31; Mr Poh Boon San, 27; and last of all, Mr Reuben Kee En Rui, 23.
The national dragon boaters were still in their team shirts and shorts, now the colour of the muddy river.
Their bodies were spotted floating downstream from the accident site, said police officer Mom Sitha, a member of the search team.
Local fishermen had been enlisted to help as they knew the rips and currents of the area intimately, Phnom Penh Municipal Police Chief Touch Naroth told The Straits Times.
The search site included the confluence of three rivers, the Tonle Bassac, the Mekong and the Tonle Sap, which is prone to strong rips and whirlpools and very hard to navigate by boat - let alone swim.
Mr Touch Naroth said: 'The bodies were found over an area from Hun Sen Park to Koh Pich island. They were in good condition. They were not marked in any way, so it appears the rowers were caught in the current and simply drowned.'
A sixth body was also found, that of a Cambodian rower whose boat had also capsized on Friday, said Mr Nhim Vanda, vice-president of the National Committee for Disaster Management.
For the families of the Singapore rowers, dread became grief, as they grappled with their loss and asked how the tragedy happened.
Mr Stephen Loh Soon Ann, 31, ex-Marist PE Teacher
Written on: Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Time: 3:42 PM
I got confirmed!!!
Hmm... Misleading title. Anyway, basically what I meant was that I passed my confirmation test and I'm going to advance to Secondary 4 Gabriel!!
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Written on: Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Time: 7:57 PM
Ah, here's another dumb letter to the Straits Times Forum to reply.
Are lower train fares possible? Look to HK
FOLLOWING the merger of Hong Kong's two major train operators, the Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation (KCRC) and the Mass Transit Railway Corporation, the territory's government has announced a reduction in fares.
According to a press statement of the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region dated Nov 22 on its website, http://www.news.gov.hk/en/category/infrastructureandlogistics/071122/pda/071122en06009.htm, 'About 2.8 million commuters will enjoy lower fares from Dec 2 when Hong Kong's two rail companies merge. Annual fare concessions are expected to reach HK$600 million.
'The Mass Transit Railway Corporation's Octopus smart-card users (Hong Kong's version of the ez-link card), will see fare reductions, with more than half enjoying a 5 per cent saving. All adult Octopus cardholders will pay 20 cents less per trip minimum, while long-distance fares at $12 or above will be cut by at least 10 per cent...
'With the removal of a second boarding charge, passengers interchanging between the Mass Transit Railway and Kowloon-Canton Railway networks will have fares cut by up to $7.'
I have been using Hong Kong's railways at all hours for the past fortnight and I find that the frequency of trains ranges between one and three minutes. Although it is winter now (temperature between 19 and 25 deg C), the air-conditioning in the trains functions very well in spite of the heavy commuter traffic. In addition, the trains are relatively clean and well maintained and the images of the live programmes on mobile television installed in the KCR trains are always clear and smooth.
In contrast, Singapore's trains arrive every five to eight minutes and the air-conditioning leaves much to be desired, especially for aboveground journeys in the afternoons.
Yet, we have been told constantly by our transport operators and the Public Transport Council that fares have to go up annually because of higher oil prices, inflation and the higher cost of maintenance. Perhaps it is time for the Government and industry in Singapore to learn from Hong Kong.
Liew Kai Khiun
Hong Kong
As promised, here's my reply:
I refer to the letter dated Nov 24, 2007 by Mr Liew Kai Khiun from Hong Kong and I wish to clarify some things he has said about the "goodness of the merger of MTR and KCRC".
I am elated by the merger of Hong Kong's leading transport operators and passing on the happiness down to the commuters.
However, Mr Liew's source seems to be flawed as quoted, "Passengers taking certain long-distance trips can save up to $35%, like those travelling from Tin Shui Wai to Sha Tin who currently pay $23.30, they will save $8.20 after the merger." As a Hong Konger, Mr Liew ought to know that Tin Shui Wai is located on the KCR West Rail and Sha Tin is located on the KCR East Rail. As such, he would need to get to Sha Tin from Tin Shui Wai by interchanging with the Tseun Wan Line at Mei Foo station and again at Tsim Sha Tsui. This requires Mr Liew to tap his Octopus for 3 journeys. First at Tin Shui Wai itself, followed by Mei Foo and lastly Tsim Sha Tsui. This is so because Hong Kong does not have an integrated seamless transfer between 2 companies. Let me cite an example. At Dhoby Ghaut, passengers need not get out of the station before boarding the North-East Line operated by SBSTransit even though they are transfering from the North-South Line or the Circle Line which is operated by SMRT.
The same thing cannot be said of passengers who wish to go to Johor Bahru by train. One would need to alight at Tanjong Pagar MRT Station, walk a few hundred meters and reach Tanjung Pagar Railway Station to buy another ticket. This sort of thing is currently, at time of writing, happening in Hong Kong.
The discount does not apply to passengers who travel on the old MTR, old West Rail and old East Rail itself, that is to say, no interchange with the old company. For example, if Mr Liew is traveling from Tung Chung to Po Lam, there will not be a change in fare even though it is a long distance journey.
Mr Liew is also wrong to say that the MTR frequency "ranges between one and three minutes". Although a train arrives within 30 seconds on the Tseun Wan, Kwun Tong, Island and Tseung Kwan O lines, an off peak train frequency on them is at 4 minutes. For the Airport Express, it is fixed at 12 minutes, the Tung Chung Line is at 8 minutes and the Disneyland Resort Line, 10 minutes.
Mr Liew also said that the air-conditioning in the trains functions well even in Winter. What Mr Liew does not realise is that it is precisely because it is winter that the environment is cold and also that an average line crosses the harbour at least once a trip.
I have no doubt on the cleanliness of the trains but the programmes on the KCR trains are not "live" as Mr Liew said but rather a VCD that is played 14 times a day. About 66% of commuters have also complained about the volume of the television being too loud. Mr Liew also does not realise that the trainsets of all the lines have been refurbished because of the 25th Anniversary of the MTR and because China is also advancing with the world towards the 21st Century.
Singapore trains arrive between 1-10 minutes, depending on which line and at what time, unlike what Mr Liew said about our trains arriving "every 5-8 minutes".
As Singapore is a relatively small country which imposes a 100% tax for imports on oil, there is no doubt that oil in Singapore would cost more than the rest of the world. What Mr Liew does not notice is that like Hong Kong, Singapore is refurbishing all her Kawasaki Nippon Sharyo trainsets too.
In my eyes, just as Singapore has no doubt to learn from Hong Kong, there are some things that Hong Kong should learn from Singapore as well. First, the platform gaps in between the train and the platform is too wide, causing passengers to trip and get their prams/wheelchairs caught in it. Hong Kong should replace her turnstiles with automatic flaps so that those carrying bulky items would not have to injure themselves while pushing the turnstile. Escalators and elevators should be installed at all the underground exits, compared to strictly staircases at all the underground exits now.
I thank Mr Liew for giving me this opportunity to clarify this matter.
Should I submit this letter to the Straits Times Forum?
Time: 7:49 PM
Okay... I just received a complain on unstoppable music, so there. A pause button.
Can? xD
Written on: Monday, November 26, 2007
Time: 6:58 PM
S'poreans found dead after Cambodia boat accident: police
TEN minutes before 8am on Sunday, the river gave up its first victim.
Fishermen trawling the waters of Cambodia's Tonle Sap found the body of Mr Chee Wei Cheng, 20, washed up on an island a few kilometres south of where his dragon boat had capsized on Friday.
In the end, after divers had searched for nearly 40 hours, the river discharged all five missing young men in less than four.
By noon, all had been recovered: first Mr Chee, then Mr Jeremy Goh Tze Xiong, 24; Mr Stephen Loh Soon Ann, 31; Mr Poh Boon San, 27; and last of all, Mr Reuben Kee En Rui, 23.
The national dragon boaters were still in their team shirts and shorts, now the colour of the muddy river.
Their bodies were spotted floating downstream from the accident site, said police officer Mom Sitha, a member of the search team.
Local fishermen had been enlisted to help as they knew the rips and currents of the area intimately, Phnom Penh Municipal Police Chief Touch Naroth told The Straits Times.
The search site included the confluence of three rivers, the Tonle Bassac, the Mekong and the Tonle Sap, which is prone to strong rips and whirlpools and very hard to navigate by boat - let alone swim.
Mr Touch Naroth said: 'The bodies were found over an area from Hun Sen Park to Koh Pich island. They were in good condition. They were not marked in any way, so it appears the rowers were caught in the current and simply drowned.'
A sixth body was also found, that of a Cambodian rower whose boat had also capsized on Friday, said Mr Nhim Vanda, vice-president of the National Committee for Disaster Management.
For the families of the Singapore rowers, dread became grief, as they grappled with their loss and asked how the tragedy happened.
Mr Stephen Loh Soon Ann, 31, ex-Marist PE Teacher
Written on: Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Time: 3:42 PM
I got confirmed!!!
Hmm... Misleading title. Anyway, basically what I meant was that I passed my confirmation test and I'm going to advance to Secondary 4 Gabriel!!
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About me
Nicholas Lim
16 years old *sigh*
School Pending (It means to be confirmed, not the place in Bukit Panjang.)
23 January 1992
Catholic
Queen of Peace
nick-lim@hotmail.com
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