Rectification and Remediation against Supplier of Steel Products for MRT Trains

Mr Sitoh Yih Pin asked the Minister for Transport (a) whether the recent admission by Kobe Steel Ltd on data falsification of the quality of its steel products involved products used in the construction of our MRT trains; and (b) if so, whether there are any plans to seek rectification and remedies against the parties concerned.

Mr Khaw Boon Wan: The Land Transport Authority has confirmed with all our MRT and LRT train manufacturers that no non-conforming products from Kobe Steel have been used in our trains. This includes the Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI)-CSR Sifang consortium that is replacing the car-body bolster for 26 North-South and East-West Lines trains, as well as manufacturing the new fleet of trains for the Thomson-East Coast Line. LTA officers based in Qingdao work closely with KHI-CSR Sifang to ensure that our trains are manufactured according to LTA’s specifications.

The safety of commuters is our utmost concern. LTA will continue to monitor any new developments from the investigations into the quality of products manufactured by Kobe Steel.