"Please Open the Door"... Chinese Passengers Miss Train Due to Station Staff Oversleeping

Responsible Station Staff Disciplined with 1-Month Suspension and 6-Month Bonus Cancellation

An absurd incident occurred in China where passengers who intended to board the first train missed it due to a station staff member oversleeping.

On the 6th (local time), local media including China Xinhua News reported that on the 4th, the first train arrived at Changde Station in Hunan Province, China, but no passengers were able to board. This was because the station staff responsible for opening the station doors overslept in the staff dormitory and failed to open the doors on time. Travelers and passengers who needed to commute knocked on the doors and shouted, but the doors did not open. Passengers who got off the train also could not leave the station.

Passengers missed their train due to a train attendant oversleeping. China NTD News

As numerous passengers were unable to enter or exit the station, the scene fell into chaos. Videos capturing the situation show passengers standing in front of the doors waiting for them to open, with some knocking and shouting. Several passengers made complaint calls requesting the issue be resolved, but the station staff appeared only after about 20 minutes and opened the doors. However, the train departed on schedule, by which time many passengers had already missed the train.

Subsequently, Guangzhou Railway Group stated via social media that "the staff member at the south exit of Changde Station did not arrive on time, causing the doors to not be opened promptly," and "some passengers using the first train were affected by this." They added, "According to station regulations, the responsible personnel will be disciplined," and "we will take this incident as a lesson to educate staff and improve service quality to provide a better experience for passengers."

The staff member responsible for the station doors received disciplinary actions including one month of suspension and cancellation of bonuses for six months. The supervisor on duty at the time was also reportedly disciplined. Netizens who learned of the incident expressed various reactions such as "irresponsible staff," "passengers must have been flustered," "if a fire had broken out, it could have led to a major disaster," and "the system where only station staff can open the doors needs to be changed."