Disturbance on Line 6 Train to Bonghwasan
Passengers Advised to Alight at Sangwolgok Due to Similar Appearance
A train operator driving a Seoul Subway Line 6 train mistakenly thought the terminal station had arrived and made all passengers disembark at the wrong station.
On the 23rd, Yonhap News reported, citing Seoul Metro, that at around 6:23 p.m. the previous day, train number 6221 on Line 6 stopped at Sangwolgok Station and all passengers were made to get off. At that time, an announcement was made inside the train stating, "This train is not bound for Sinnnae. Please get off." Then, the operator turned off the lights inside the train, causing confused passengers to rush to get off. During this process, the operator even closed the screen doors, resulting in some passengers bumping into the doors or getting trapped inside the train, causing a commotion.
However, in reality, there were still five stations left before the terminal. The terminal station for this train was Bonghwasan Station. It was reported that both Sangwolgok Station and Bonghwasan Station have pillars covered with light green tiles, making it difficult to identify which station it was just by appearance.
After disembarking, passengers had to wait inside the Sangwolgok Station without understanding the situation, and the train reportedly turned the lights back on and opened the screen doors five minutes after the blackout. However, there was no separate announcement about whether passengers could board the train again. A Seoul Metro official stated, "The operator mistook Sangwolgok Station for Bonghwasan Station because their station designs are very similar and made the passengers get off." The official added, "The operator will be excluded from duties for the time being and will undergo additional training."
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