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Phil Austin, Managing Director of Touchstone Renard, was delighted to visit Singapore in July 2008 to attend a series of meetings at various locations throughout the city state, including the Bishan rail depot which houses special maintenance facilities for rolling stock.
At one point, during the visit, a key metro provider quickly spotted the coincidence that Touchstone Renard and Singapore’s Mass Transit Railway System (the MRT) are each celebrating a significant anniversary this year, having both opened in the same year.
A month younger than the MRT, Touchstone Renard opened in December 1987, providing support and advice to a major UK metro client in the wake of a fire disaster earlier that year. The consultancy has continued to make a considerable contribution to client businesses in the metro and rail industries ever since.
The Astonishing Birth, Growth and Future Plans of MRT
The opening of the MRT’s initial five stations in November 1987 - and its subsequent expansion - followed the decision that trains should form the leading means of public transport throughout Singapore. Twenty one years later, the country’s judgement cannot be criticised, although an efficient ‘partnership’ has been formed with the fleets of single and double-decker buses. Overseen by the Land Transport Authority, it is intended that the rail-based system will gradually assume increased importance over buses, linking all communities and giving the network a greater density and more track than several other major, worldwide cites.
Originally comprising two main lines, a third – the Circle - was added to the MRT in 2003. Official announcements this year in Singapore have made it clear that the Circle line is due to be open by 2009, eventually connecting all the existing MRT lines, offering passengers the opportunity to avoid certain more crowded areas in the commercial part of the city.
The new Downtown line is currently expected to be open by 2016. Originally planned as an extension to the Circle line it is now viewed as a line in its own right. In addition the new Thomson line is scheduled to open in 2018.
The new lines and extensions will serve both existing and new developments around the island, some of the latter being built on reclaimed land, previously under the sea. The MRT will link to the Marina Bay leisure development and also the new Harbourfront Station to the south west, with its express train to Sentosa Island, a former British military base that has been transformed into a holiday and leisure destination.
Following the visit, Phil Austin said: ‘Touchstone Renard is thrilled and inspired to be sharing its 21st anniversary year with such an illustrious transport organisation which, like us, is looking to the future with every confidence.’
An Article by Touchstone Renard’s Woking Team
Touchstone Renard provides a comprehensive range of solutions to management issues. Clients include many private and public sector organisations in the UK and internationally.
Within the transport sector the company has delivered hundreds of assignments for clients across the Rail and Metro market place. These vary from compliance driven aspects e.g. assurance, safety and risk management; to performance driven issues e.g. lean six sigma, business intelligence and change realisation.
For Further Information, Please Contact:
- Phil Austin, Touchstone Renard Limited, London office: 123 Pall Mall, London SW1Y 5EA, United Kingdom.
- Tel: +44 (0)207 101 0788.
- Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it