Apology Notices Posted at 12 Affected Stations;
One-on-One Customized Training Planned for Crew Members
Baekho: "We Sincerely Apologize for the Inconvenience to Passengers During the Long Disruption on a Busy Weekend..."
Seoul Metro announced that the derailment accident at Sindorim Station on Line 2, which occurred around 7:50 a.m. on the 23rd, has been fully restored, and train operations resumed on the entire line from 5:30 p.m.
Apology notices were posted before the first train on the 24th at the 12 stations on Line 2 that experienced service disruptions due to the accident.
Although there were no casualties from the derailment, train operations on the outer loop of Line 2 between Hongdaeipgu Station and Seoul National University Station were suspended. To minimize inconvenience to passengers, substitute buses were deployed on the outer loop section between Hongdaeipgu Station and Seoul National University Station from 11:15 a.m. Inner loop trains operated normally across the entire line.
Upon the accident, the company quickly activated the initial response team and accident management headquarters, deploying recovery personnel to expedite restoration efforts. Emergency repairs began around 9:53 a.m., and restoration was completed approximately 6 hours and 30 minutes later, around 4:26 p.m. Train operations resumed on the entire line from 5:30 p.m.
A total of 474 personnel and 282 pieces of equipment, including 75 types such as hydraulic pumps, were mobilized for the recovery work.
Initially, the company identified a ‘buffer stop collision’ as the cause of the accident, but it was later found that the train dispatched from Sinjeong Depot violated a stop signal at platform 4 of Sindorim Station, passed the stop marker (end of track), and then derailed. The exact cause of the accident is still under investigation, with various possibilities including human error, facility issues, and system faults being considered.
Apology notices have been posted at the 12 stations on Line 2 between Hongdaeipgu Station and Seoul National University Station, where train operations were disrupted due to the accident. Furthermore, the company plans to implement customized one-on-one training reflecting individual characteristics to prevent human errors by crew members and ensure safe train operations. It will also select vulnerable points where similar incidents could occur for focused inspections.
The company made efforts to minimize passenger inconvenience by deploying alternative transportation. Starting at 11:15 a.m. on the 23rd, four substitute buses were deployed on the suspended outer loop section between Hongdaeipgu Station and Seoul National University Station, and an additional 10 buses were secured, operating a total of 14 substitute buses.
Baekho, President of Seoul Metro, said, “We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused to passengers during the long disruption on a weekend morning when many people are out for leisure. We will quickly identify the cause of the accident and do our best to prevent recurrence, while also conducting thorough inspections of facilities.”
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