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Singapore Rail Woes Unlikely to Dent Expat Love: ExpatFinder.com

Singapore Rail Woes Unlikely to Dent Expat Love: ExpatFinder.com

(Bloomberg) -- Singapore’s recent public transportation woes are unlikely to dent the city’s standing as a desirable haven for expatriates, according to Sebastien Deschamps, chief executive officer and founder of ExpatFinder.com.

The island nation, known for its sleek infrastructure and forward thinking, is reeling after another incident on its Mass Rapid Transit, where a collision between two trains Wednesday morning injured at least 29 people. The local shock from the accident -- particularly after breakdowns and increasing furor over inefficiencies in transport in recent years -- is unlikely to significantly harm the views of outsiders, Deschamps said in a phone interview.

“To a certain extent, it might be annoying to the people on the ground, but it doesn’t change the view of Singapore being very attractive to foreign talent,” said the CEO of the expat resource website. “Really, compared to global standards, it’s still very, very efficient.”

He added that Singapore remains a “very attractive mobility landscape,” helped by government efforts including the promotion of bike-sharing platforms. Native Singaporeans tend to compare the city state to other parts of Asia, “which are extremely efficient, as well” and leagues above other world-class cities that have weaker infrastructure, he said.

Singapore retains a big lead on other places, consistently polling favorably with foreign residents for its overall quality of life, job opportunities, and efficient services.

It was ranked the top expat destination for the third year in a row in 2017 in the Expat Explorer survey released by HSBC Holdings Plc. In this year’s Expat Insider report by online networking service InterNations, Singapore was fourth in overall quality of life and took the top spot in the “travel and transport” category.

To contact the reporter on this story: Michelle Jamrisko in Singapore at mjamrisko@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Nasreen Seria at nseria@bloomberg.net, Stephanie Phang, Niluksi Koswanage

©2017 Bloomberg L.P.