04/08/2026
Weโve come a long way. And weโre moving even further. ๐ช๐ป
We were honoured to welcome Senior Minister (SM) Lee Hsien Loong back to Bishan Depot on 3 August.
A look back: SM Lee first visited Bishan Depot on 26 May 2015, shortly after the replacement of about 96,000 wooden sleepers with concrete ones on the NorthโSouth Line. This major engineering milestone allowed speed restrictions to be lifted, making train journeys faster and smoother. ๐
During that midnight visit, SM Lee was briefed on rail maintenance and renewal works. He also met engineers and technicians working the overnight shift. Throughout the visit, he paid close attention to the engineering challenges faced by our teams and the practical solutions they developed to overcome them. His visit also offered the public a glimpse of the largely unseen work our people carry out through the night to keep Singaporeโs rail network safe and reliable. โ๏ธ
Fast forward to August 2026: Eleven years later, SM Lee returned to see the progress we have made.
His visit began at the Kaizen Centre, where he learned how the Kaizen movement, introduced by Chairman Seah Moon Ming, has shaped our culture of continuous improvement. Today, our people work together to solve problems, improve processes, and deliver better outcomes every day.
SM Lee showed the same curiosity and focus on engineering excellence throughout this visit, as he engaged with our teams to learn how innovation is driving solutions to operational challenges.
Mr Seah presented SM Lee with a piece of Kaizen calligraphy that he had personally writtenโa meaningful gift that captured the journey of the past eleven years. โจ
The visit concluded with a tour of Depot 4.0 and a ride on the PHM trainโtwo showcases of how rail engineering has evolved, from responding to faults to preventing them through automation, sensors, and data-driven technologies. โ
As Singapore celebrates 61 years of nation-building, we are proud to reflect on our journey as Singaporeโs pioneer rail operator. ๐ธ๐ฌ
Our commitment remains unchanged: to keep building on the strong foundations laid before us, and to deliver a rail system that Singapore can continue to be proud of for generations to come.
Thank you, SM Lee, for returning to Bishan Depot and for celebrating this journey with us. ๐ฅฐ