In an interview with state media reporters yesterday (Nov 21), Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan told Singaporeans to get over the train collision because Thales has apologised. Pushing all blame to the signalling system supplier Thales, Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan refuse to be responsible for the accident:
“The French company which supplied the new signalling system for the East-West Line (EWL) on which a train collision happened last week could have done better. Thales was faced with a “challenging situation”, having to deal with two different signalling systems on the EWL. Still, Thales could have done better. They have acknowledged their mistake and have apologised.”
Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan then tells Singaporean to get over the train collision incident:
“Of course inevitably the confidence would be shattered by events like this. But what happened has happened, so we should just get over with it.”
The Minister then praised himself for “making good progress” as dictator PM Lee Hsien Loong claimed:
“As I told Singaporeans before, this is a multi-year effort. I give myself 4 years. We are halfway through. If not for this incident as well as the flooding incident, we were actually making good progress, as PM Lee described before.”
Minister Khaw Boon Wan then claimed the North-South Line has “turned the corner” and promised no further delays for the NSL because the signalling project is ending next month.