Meet Mohamad Dasufi Bin Safie, Train Captain from Tanah Merah Station. Inspired by a friend who was a train captain, Dasufi joined SMRT Trains in 2009.
As a Train Captain, he is responsible for preparing the train for service, launching the trains from one of SMRT’s train depots, and ensuring a safe and comfortable ride for commuters. Dasufi shared that one of the biggest misconceptions people have of his job is that operating trains is a simple task. The job requires teamwork, regular training and discipline.
His day begins with him drawing out equipment and conducting a walk-through of the cabins to prepare the train for service. It is important that these checks are completed in a timely manner to ensure that train service begins as scheduled. Being able to resolve train faults that could occur and getting commuters to their destination safely and on time is something that he enjoys.
Chief Controller, Muhammad Fairuz, Operations Control Centre
Meet Muhammad Fairuz Bin Abdol Wahid, Chief Controller from the Operations Control Centre for the Circle Line (CCL). Fairuz joined SMRT in 2008, after completing his National Service. As a Chief Controller, Fairuz is overall in-charge of the performance of the Operations Control Centre for the CCL. He controls the movements of the CCL trains on the driverless system, and ensures that the trains run smoothly during service hours.
Fairuz enjoys his job, and takes pride in the fact that he is part of the team that is responsible for the heart and nerve centre of the CCL. "I like that my job requires me to work closely with my team to ensure that train service is delivered in a reliable and prompt manner at all times, allowing our commuters to have a smooth journey", says Fairuz. He also manages a team of Train Service Controllers (TSCs) on incident management during train service disruptions. He shares that whenever there are train incidents or faults, he has to act fast and work with the TSCs to recover the train service safely and quickly. "We just want to make sure that our commuters can get to their destination on time which is why my team and I are motivated to minimise commuters' inconveniences to the best we can", adds Fairuz.
Meet Sakthi Ganesan Pillai, Technical Officer from the Train workshop. Sakthi joined SMRT in 2011 as a Technical Officer, as he was inspired by his brother (Nagharajan Pillai Nafiz S/O AV Arunachalam) who is a Train Captain on the North-South and East-West Lines. "I was inspired by my brother's passion to serve and to bring commuters to their destination. I told myself that I also want to do my part to serve commuters in my own way, which was why I applied to SMRT", adds Sakthi.
Sakthi is currently responsible for the preventive maintenance and overhauling of train doors. Part of his daily job scope includes the removal of doors for maintenance, inspection of defects on the doors as well as testing the closing and opening of train doors for functionality checks. These works are conducted to ensure that the train door systems are in good working conditions, allowing our commuters to have a safe and smooth journey. Sakthi shares that he enjoys his work, and has even been sponsored by SMRT to pursue a part-time Diploma in Mechanical Engineering at Singapore Polytechnic to upgrade his skill sets. Sakthi adds that he will work hard to becoming an Assistant Engineer. Sakthi attends night classes thrice a week, and by the time he returns home, his wife and new-born baby are already asleep.
Service Ambassador, Chang Shu Ling, Raffles Place Station
Meet Chang Shu Ling, Service Ambassador from Raffles Place MRT station. Shu Ling joined SMRT in 2015 as a Service Ambassador. She shares that once, her mother lost her way in the train network in Taiwan. A staff from the metro operator came forward and guided her to the destination. She then felt inspired to help commuters on their commute and decided to join SMRT as a Service Ambassador. “I enjoy working as a Service Ambassador, especially when it comes to helping elderly commuters as they remind me of my mother. Knowing that I can help commuters in need to get to their destination makes me happy”, adds Shu Ling.
“Helping others brings joy to me. I do not expect anything in return when helping others. When I received the thank you card personally from the commuter, I feel touched and motivated to continue doing my best to help commuters.” In her leisure time, Shu Ling enjoys hand sewing. She shared that her hobby helps her to relieve her stress and feel recharged. With this, she can stay focus at work and try her best to assist commuters.
I started out my career in SMRT in Transport Planning and was subsequently rotated to hold appointments in Enterprise Risk Management, Bus Operations and SMRT Services. I was given many opportunities to continuously push and challenge my own limitations and boundaries. At SMRT, the management invest in their people – to develop their career, nurture and sharpen technical and leadership skills set. As Singapore’s leading public transport operator, few can have as far reaching impact that SMRT has.
Andrew Tan, Director, Business Planning
Despite the challenging nature of such a dynamic industry, the positive culture in SMRT makes it easy for one to be passionate in what he or she is tasked to do. Besides work, opportunities to develop myself as an individual abound. I have learnt more about myself and built meaningful friendships through various platforms including the Company’s CSR projects. Fulfilling work comes from knowing that I make a difference not just at work but also in the society and beyond. Believing in the Company, I look forward to scaling greater heights towards excellence together, for I know that the road ahead is promising. A company that believes in you, sees your strengths, grooms you to your fullest potential and empowers you to achieve greater things. That’s SMRT to me.
Dewi Anggraini, Head, Safety Systems
I am thankful to SMRT for giving me the opportunity to excel in my work and provisions to develop additional skill sets which prepare me for an exciting career growth. I started my career as a Customer Service Leader and was awarded a LEAP (Learning through Educational Advancement Programmes) sponsorship to further my studies at the University. The course equipped me with insights into operations, service management and strengthened my analytical and critical thinking skills. Coupled with my work experiences, I was able to bring SMRT’s service levels to greater heights. Looking forward to serving and delighting our commuters every day!
Shorah Begum Bte Mahmood, Senior Executive, Service Quality
I started out my career in SMRT in Transport Planning and was subsequently rotated to hold appointments in Enterprise Risk Management, Bus Operations and SMRT Services. I was given many opportunities to continuously push and challenge my own limitations and boundaries. At SMRT, the management invest in their people – to develop their career, nurture and sharpen technical and leadership skills set. As Singapore’s leading public transport operator, few can have as far reaching impact that SMRT has.
Andrew Tan, Director, Business Planning
Despite the challenging nature of such a dynamic industry, the positive culture in SMRT makes it easy for one to be passionate in what he or she is tasked to do. Besides work, opportunities to develop myself as an individual abound. I have learnt more about myself and built meaningful friendships through various platforms including the Company’s CSR projects. Fulfilling work comes from knowing that I make a difference not just at work but also in the society and beyond. Believing in the Company, I look forward to scaling greater heights towards excellence together, for I know that the road ahead is promising. A company that believes in you, sees your strengths, grooms you to your fullest potential and empowers you to achieve greater things. That’s SMRT to me.
Dewi Anggraini, Head, Safety Systems
I am thankful to SMRT for giving me the opportunity to excel in my work and provisions to develop additional skill sets which prepare me for an exciting career growth. I started my career as a Customer Service Leader and was awarded a LEAP (Learning through Educational Advancement Programmes) sponsorship to further my studies at the University. The course equipped me with insights into operations, service management and strengthened my analytical and critical thinking skills. Coupled with my work experiences, I was able to bring SMRT’s service levels to greater heights. Looking forward to serving and delighting our commuters every day!
Shorah Begum Bte Mahmood, Senior Executive, Service Quality
I have made the right choice by joining SMRT. Just look at the number of employees who have been in the company for more than twenty years! The company spares no effort in helping its employees succeed and grow through training and other cross-functional projects. At SMRT, we believe in work life effectiveness. That is why throughout the year, there is no lack of social and recreational activities for staff to participate in, e.g. Family Day, Dinner & Dance, Inter-Business Unit games and Community work. At SMRT, both my career and personal life are well balanced and meaningful.
Lim Jun Ze, Manager, Train Service Operations
My journey from an intern to an engineer started with a spark of passion for engineering and grew into a desire to make a difference in the transport industry. As a young intern at SMRT, I worked closely with our Assistance Engineers and Technical Officers in the Rolling Stock Maintenance department to understand ground maintenance issues. Upon graduation, I joined as a Management Trainee and ‘got my hands dirty’. The last 2 years enabled me to build a strong engineering fundamental in troubleshooting and maintenance works which allowed me to lead my team better. Together with a team of engineers, I was also able to solve more complex tasks to improve the maintainability of our trains.
Vicky Ho, Executive Engineer, Rolling Stock
I thrive on continuous challenges and SMRT gives me just that. From managing daily operations on NSEWL stations, to corporate roles that were involved in the transition of the New Rail Financing Framework (NRFF) and privatisation of the Group, my rotations saw me gain industry exposure and also developed new skillsets. My subsequent involvement in bilateral projects such as RTS (MRT between JB and SG) and High Speed Rail (HSR) and local tenders such as the Bus Contracting Model (BCM) and Thomson East-Coast Line (TEL) expanded my horizons. Currently, I am working with the Systems team of TEL to start up the line in preparation of more stages to come.
Beyond the work, I enjoy working with my colleagues and am inspired by their dedication and passion. The transport landscape is an evergreen one. So, if you are looking for constant challenges, I welcome you onboard.
Tan Kian Leong, Deputy Head, Systems, S-TEL
I have made the right choice by joining SMRT. Just look at the number of employees who have been in the company for more than twenty years! The company spares no effort in helping its employees succeed and grow through training and other cross-functional projects. At SMRT, we believe in work life effectiveness. That is why throughout the year, there is no lack of social and recreational activities for staff to participate in, e.g. Family Day, Dinner & Dance, Inter-Business Unit games and Community work. At SMRT, both my career and personal life are well balanced and meaningful.
Lim Jun Ze, Manager, Train Service Operations
My journey from an intern to an engineer started with a spark of passion for engineering and grew into a desire to make a difference in the transport industry. As a young intern at SMRT, I worked closely with our Assistance Engineers and Technical Officers in the Rolling Stock Maintenance department to understand ground maintenance issues. Upon graduation, I joined as a Management Trainee and ‘got my hands dirty’. The last 2 years enabled me to build a strong engineering fundamental in troubleshooting and maintenance works which allowed me to lead my team better. Together with a team of engineers, I was also able to solve more complex tasks to improve the maintainability of our trains.
Vicky Ho, Executive Engineer, Rolling Stock
I thrive on continuous challenges and SMRT gives me just that. From managing daily operations on NSEWL stations, to corporate roles that were involved in the transition of the New Rail Financing Framework (NRFF) and privatisation of the Group, my rotations saw me gain industry exposure and also developed new skillsets. My subsequent involvement in bilateral projects such as RTS (MRT between JB and SG) and High Speed Rail (HSR) and local tenders such as the Bus Contracting Model (BCM) and Thomson East-Coast Line (TEL) expanded my horizons. Currently, I am working with the Systems team of TEL to start up the line in preparation of more stages to come.
Beyond the work, I enjoy working with my colleagues and am inspired by their dedication and passion. The transport landscape is an evergreen one. So, if you are looking for constant challenges, I welcome you onboard.
