Reader's Response Draft

In the article, “Dubbed 'the best in class': 6 things about Hong Kong's MTR rail system.”, Lee (2015) has stated that Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan, thought highly of Hong Kong’s Mass Transit Railway (MTR) and suggested that local transportation sectors should use MTRC as a guideline for its “reliability standards”. Based on MTR’s and SMRT’s  annual reports, comparing Hong Kong to Singapore, New York and London, Hong Kong’s subway system yields the highest “system’s farebox recovery ratio”. Looking at both the MTR and SMRT’s railway systems, the length of MTR’s railway surpasses SMRT’s by 59km. The punctuality of SMRT trains is 3.9% lesser than MTR even though both countries face the same amount of significant hold ups. Looking at the expenditure of profits on enhancing train systems, MTR invested a larger amount of their earnings compared to SMRT. MTR also ensures that their passengers enjoy a safe and smooth ride by having much higher inspection frequency compared to SMRT and being meticulous in examining the railway lines. MTRC aims to rectify any issues or faults that arises under two minutes with the introduction of the “Super Operations Control Centre” which oversees the entire railway system, resolving emergencies with their fast reaction. The article states that Hong Kong’s MTR system is the best in the industry by providing train services in a more reliable and efficient manner as compared to other countries. I agree with the claim of the article that Hong Kong’s MTR is better. However, I disagree with the reason used for the claim. The article should have used points such as the efficiency of carrying passenger, punctuality rate and effectiveness in investment made as evidence to support what it states.

Firstly, despite having lesser track area than other major metropolitan subway systems, the MTR system transports more than five million passengers daily. London has 402 kilometres of line, New York City has 373 kilometres, while Hong Kong MTR tracks only stretches 218 kilometres. With a shorter length of railway tracks, Hong Kong’s MTR system still carries more commuters around the country when compared to London and New York subway systems. Hong Kong’s MTR also stand out by carrying more passenger than other subway systems. Hong Kong’s MTR carries more than London and almost the same as New York. This show how efficient is Hong Kong’s MTR system in passenger transportation when placed side by side with renowned subway systems from other countries.

Secondly, running about 20 hours and 8,000 train trips per day, MTR boasts a staggering 99.9% punctuality rate, according to the corporation.  In 2016, the overall punctuality rate of the MTR was 99.9 percent. In comparison, the train punctuality rate of the New York subway was only 63 percent, while that of the London underground was 85.2 percent. This tells us that the Hong Kong’s MTR frequency of being on time at each station is a cut above the rest as compared to other countries. These are concrete evidence to back up why Hong Kong’s MTR system is one of the best in the business when it comes to the punctuality rate of the railway system.

Lastly, Singapore’s Land Transport Authority (LTA) has invested S$12.5 million to develop manpower for the industry. The MTRC also spent S$1.09 billion last year on maintenance and system upgrades. Singapore is seen investing a significantly large amount of money as compared to Hong Kong in regards to the railway system. Singapore’s consumers were more satisfied with the land transport sector, which had a score of 66.8 out of 100.While Hong Kong’s MTR customer satisfaction reached a record high score of 73.5% in 2015.  This proves that Hong Kong railway system uses a less amount of money to actually have a higher amount of satisfaction for the commuters. Demonstrating how effective and smart is Hong Kong’s MTR on investing.

In conclusion, Hong Kong’s MTR system is certainly one of the best in its field when we look at how efficient and managed overall. Railway system around the world should see Hong Kong’s MTR as a role model.

References

Maggie Hiufu Wong (2015, March 31). Hong Kong's MTR: Taking a ride on the world's most envied metro system. Cable News Network, Retrieved September 27, 2017, from http://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/hong-kong-mtr-success-story/index.html

Alan Lee (2017, August 31). Time to ease up on the MTR over its service record.  Cable News Network, Retrieved September 26, 2017, from http://www.ejinsight.com/20170831-time-to-ease-up-on-the-mtr-over-its-service-record/

Lincoln Leong Kwok-Kuen (2016, May 12). 5 billions MTR sustainability report 2015. Mass Transit Railway, Retrieved September 26, 2017, from http://www.mtr.com.hk/en/corporate/sustainability/2015rpt/pdf/mtrfull2015.pdf

Li Xueying  (2015, October 25). HK rail's 'always improving' ethos. The Straits Times, Retrieved September 25, 2017, from http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/hk-rails-always-improving-ethos

Rahimah Rashith  (2016, September 16). Satisfaction level up for MRT service: Survey.  The Straits Times, Retrieved September 25, 2017, from http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/satisfaction-level-up-for-mrt-service-survey

Lim, K. (2015, December 20). Singapore's train system: What needs to be done to ensure a smoother ride? Channel NewsAsia. Retrieved September 26, 2017, from http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/singapore-s-train-system-what-needs-to-be-done-to-ensure-a-smoot-8246388

Summary (2nd Draft + Thesis Statement)

In the article, “Dubbed 'the best in class': 6 things about Hong Kong's MTR rail system.”, Lee (2015) has stated that Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan, thought highly of Hong Kong’s Mass Transit Railway (MTR) and suggested that local transportation sectors should use MTRC as a guideline for its “reliability standards”. Based on MTR’s and SMRT’s  annual reports, comparing Hong Kong to Singapore, New York and London, Hong Kong’s subway system yields the highest “system’s farebox recovery ratio”. Looking at both the MTR and SMRT’s railway systems, the length of MTR’s railway surpasses SMRT’s by 59km. The punctuality of SMRT trains is 3.9% lesser than MTR even though both countries face the same amount of significant hold ups. Looking at the expenditure of profits on enhancing train systems, MTR invested a larger amount of their earnings compared to SMRT. MTR also ensures that their passengers enjoy a safe and smooth ride by having much higher inspection frequency compared to SMRT and being meticulous in examining the railway lines. MTRC aims to rectify any issues or faults that arises under two minutes with the introduction of the “Super Operations Control Centre” which oversees the entire railway system, resolving emergencies with their fast reaction. 

Lee Min Kok (2015, October 29). Dubbed 'the best in class': 6 things about Hong Kong's MTR rail system. The Straits Times. Retrieved from http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/dubbed-the-best-in-class-6-things-about-hong-kongs-mtr-rail-system#xtor=CS1-10

Thesis: The article states that there are areas for development if we compare Singapore's MRT with Hong Kong's MTR. However, with the increasing demand of high-quality transportation needs, Singapore is seen to have already had well thought future plans to enhance the accessibility of Singapore's MRT network.

Summary (2nd Draft)

In the article, “Dubbed 'the best in class': 6 things about Hong Kong's MTR rail system.”, Lee (2015) has stated that Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan, thought highly of Hong Kong’s Mass Transit Railway (MTR) and suggested that local transportation sectors should use MTRC as a guideline for its “reliability standards”. Based on MTR’s and SMRT’s  annual reports, comparing Hong Kong to Singapore, New York and London, Hong Kong’s subway system yields the highest “system’s farebox recovery ratio”. Looking at both the MTR and SMRT’s railway systems, the length of MTR’s railway surpasses SMRT’s by 59km. The punctuality of SMRT trains is 3.9% lesser than MTR even though both countries face the same amount of significant hold ups. Looking at the expenditure of profits on enhancing train systems, MTR invested a larger amount of their earnings compared to SMRT. MTR also ensures that their passengers enjoy a safe and smooth ride by having much higher inspection frequency compared to SMRT and being meticulous in examining the railway lines. MTRC aims to rectify any issues or faults that arises under two minutes with the introduction of the “Super Operations Control Centre” which oversees the entire railway system, resolving emergencies with their fast reaction.

Lee Min Kok (2015, October 29). Dubbed 'the best in class': 6 things about Hong Kong's MTR rail system. The Straits Times. Retrieved from http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/east-asia/dubbed-the-best-in-class-6-things-about-hong-kongs-mtr-rail-system#xtor=CS1-10

12 September 2017

Eng Sheng Cai

10 East Coast Road

Singapore 123456

Ms Lim Lay Hoon

Professor

Singapore Institute of Technology

10 Dover Drive

Singapore 123456

Dear Ms Lim,

Subject: Self-introduction

My name is Eng Sheng Cai, and I am writing a descriptive reflection on my strengths, challenges in communicating and goals for this module. I graduated from Ngee Ann Polytechnic with a Diploma in Marine and Offshore Technology in 2015. Throughout my time doing National Service (NS), I came to a realization of what I want in life. I am currently pursuing a Degree in Sustainable Infrastructure Engineering (Land). My plans upon graduation are to create innovative ideas to solve problems in this ever changing world of the land transport industry.

Good communication is important. It allows us to achieve productivity and sustain strong relationships at all levels of an industry. We need to be able to convey our message accurately and effectively for a task to be conducted efficiently. We also need to be well recognized as beneficial working partners in the industry can there be collaboration opportunities with other companies which can bring profit.

A key strength I possess in my communication skills would be I am able to convey a message across to my intended audience in a clear and effective manner. This is done by customizing my speech to the intended audience using the right verbal and nonverbal techniques. An example to elaborate this would be I am able to use drawing aids and universal body languages to communicate with the engineers and contractors from China, Myanmar and Bangladesh when I was doing an internship in Keppel Offshore and Marine back in 2014.

One significant weakness of me would be I do not maintain eye to eye contact when engaged in a physical conversation. A lack of eye contact can suggest that I am weak and insecure, while prolonged eye contact gives the impression that I am confident. At times, I feel rather self-conscious and doubtful of myself when talking to my professors and classmates. This negatively affects my ability to present the idea to the person or audience.

In the next 12 weeks, my goal is to develop and enhance my communication skills. Two main areas that I would like to improve would be to eliminate my habit of not having eye contact while communicating and pick up essential communication skills for Engineers.

Regards,

ENG.

Eng Sheng Cai
SIE2016
Group 6
Trimester 2017/2018