Recall Issued for 8 Defective Train Cars Deployed on Seoul Subway Line 4

Seoul Metro, Smoke Detected in New Train Operation, Under Repair at Changdong Depot...Related Costs to Be Charged

It has been reported that eight D Company electric trains deployed on Seoul Subway Line 4 have been recalled.

The Seoul Metro Corporation stated that smoke occurred during operation and the trains are being repaired at the Changdong Vehicle Depot.

The occurrence of smoke during operation in newly manufactured subway electric trains has caused a shock as eight trains have been recalled.

While the corporation is engaged in a lawsuit over delay penalties worth about 100 billion KRW due to failure to deliver electric trains by the contract deadline, this accident in one subway train has raised questions about whether it is a result of an overly ambitious contract.

The corporation announced that it will review defect (recall) measures and penalty imposition for the delivered trains following mainline failures during commercial operation and test runs of 210 new Line 4 electric train cars.

President Baekho of Seoul Metro and executives are inspecting the accident vehicle.

The vehicle accident involved train number 4451, which on the 2nd of last month at Pyeongchon Station experienced loosening of the high-voltage terminal block fixing bolt (presumed) and smoke damage to the contactor and other parts (component defect), leading to an accident report.

Prior to this, on August 31 at Seonbawi Station during a test run, overvoltage occurred in the AC section regenerative system, and inverter power components were damaged (railway institute failed the inspection), after which on the 26th of last month, following propulsion system software performance verification, the application was expanded to the entire train set.

The corporation took measures by returning one faulty car of train set 451 to the Gimcheon factory and detaining and repairing seven cars at the Changdong Jichuk Depot.

Accordingly, the corporation plans to impose charges such as usage fees, detention fees, and electricity fees considering the recall conditions.

They also decided to impose operational loss fees calculated based on passenger disembarkation from train set 450 and smoke occurrence in train set 451.

Additionally, the corporation will impose delay penalties (0.05% per day) for failure to meet the delivery dates specified in the contract.

A corporation official said, “It is shocking that smoke occurred in the newly introduced trains during trial operation,” and added, “We will promptly identify the cause to ensure the trains can operate safely.”