COS 2024: Rail Manpower Development Package

FY2024 MOT COS — “RAIL MANPOWER DEVELOPMENT PACKAGE” BY MELVIN YONG (RADIN MAS SMC) ON 5 MAR 2024

1. Mr Chairman, MOT launched the $100 million Rail Manpower Development Package (RMDP) in November 2019, to upskill and expand our rail workforce. With the extensive upgrading of our rail infrastructure then, continuous upskilling was needed to ensure that workers kept up with new technologies. I thank the government for responding to the call by the National Transport Workers’ Union.

2. Five years on, the challenges remain. Our rail network is poised to grow significantly in the coming years, with the addition of at least 50 new train stations and several new interchanges. We will also see the completion of the Singapore–Johor Bahru Rapid Transit System in 2026.

3. Given that the COVID-19 pandemic had stymied training for about two years, I would like to ask how much funds remain in the RMDP, which is set to expire this year. I hope that MOT can extend, and perhaps top up the RMDP, so that we can continue growing our skilled workforce to support the expanding and increasingly complex rail network.