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 and his colleague using the door manipulator to remove the doof leaf for maintenance
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 and his colleague lifting the 56kg door leaf for maintenance
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. He shares, "Despite having to juggle work, studies and my family commitments all at the same time, my wife and my colleagues have been very supportive of me. I feel empowered to continue to work hard and to develop my skill sets, and to continue serving commuters to bring about safe and smooth journeys for them."