In November 2008, SMRT Corporation and Land Transport Authority (LTA) announced that the last ten refurbished trainsets would have one-third of their seats replaced with metal rails to create extra standing space. The move was justified on grounds of allowing more standing space on board during peak-hour services. The reduction of seats per row from nine to seven after refurbishment was already unpopular among commuters; the decision to further reduce seating capacity drew sharp criticism against the operator and LTA. As of December 2015, all 66 C151s from one-third of their seats have been replaced by metal bars to create extra standing space.