Photo credit: Caroline Chia (The Straits Times)

[The full article was published in The Straits Times on 29 March 2026]

In 1990, Taiwanese engineer Jan Wen‑tau came to Singapore to study the then-new MRT system, spending months learning directly from SMRT teams in depots, classrooms and control rooms. The knowledge he and his colleagues brought home helped lay the groundwork for the launch of Taipei Metro, whose operating practices were shaped by Singapore’s early experience in running an urban rail system. Over time, that initial transfer of expertise grew into an ongoing exchange, with both sides learning from each other as their networks expanded and matured.

Today, the relationship has become firmly two‑way. As Taipei Metro evolved into one of the world’s most reliable rail systems, its insights and operational experience have fed back into discussions with SMRT. Both operators’ willingness to share openly—beyond what worked, to include what did not—set the tone for a relationship built on trust rather than textbook learning.

This long-standing collaboration now sits within the Metro Alliance, a knowledge-sharing platform linking metro operators across Taiwan and Singapore—of which SMRT is the first and only international member.

Read the full article to learn how decades of shared learning between Singapore and Taiwan helped shape two leading metro systems.