Korail restores train services between Seoul and Busan after derailment

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Korail restores train services between Seoul and Busan after derailment

Published: 19 Aug. 2024, 11:39 Updated: 19 Aug. 2024, 17:31

LEE SOO-JUNG
lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr

Railway workers inspect and conduct a repair work on a derailed KTX-Sancheon train in North Gyeongsang on Sunday night. [NEWS1]

Train services between Seoul and Busan resumed normal operations Monday morning after the train track between Dongdaegu Station in Daegu and Gyeongju in North Gyeongsang was fully restored.

The state-run train operator Korail said Monday that the earliest train service of the day operated as originally scheduled.

A KTX-Sancheon train, which departed from Seoul and was bound for Busan, derailed on the route between Dongdaegu Station and Gyeongju Station after a wheel went off the track. The train stopped near Gomo Station in Daegu at around 4:38 p.m. on Sunday.

Korail completed repair work at 5:08 a.m. on Monday, and the derailed train was transported to its rail yard at 7:05 a.m.

A total of 384 passengers had to disembark and later boarded another train that was traveling behind the impacted train.

The derailment affected railway traffic, forcing high-speed trains between Dongdaegu Station and Busan to use a single rail track that remained intact after the accident. This caused several hours of delay as some KTX trains were diverted to alternative routes and tracks.

In total, 153 train operations were affected, resulting in delays of up to four hours and 37 minutes, according to a report from Yonhap News Agency on Monday.

Korail informed those with valid tickets that they could freely board Seoul-bound trains arriving at platforms as standing-room passengers.

A passenger told Yonhap News Agency that “train cars were as crowded as intracity buses during rush hour and some had to stay in toilet areas with the doors flung open."

Korail provided 60 coach buses with a capacity of 45 passengers each. The buses were meant to transport passengers who held southbound tickets to Gyeongju, Pohang, and Ulsan. However, Yonhap News Agency reported that those buses were insufficient to transport all impacted passengers.

Korail announced a compensation scheme on its website, which includes covering passengers’ taxi fares and providing full refunds to those who experienced delays of more than two hours. It also said it would offer half-reimbursement for tickets if passengers experienced inconveniences using the other trains as standing-room passengers.

The company also apologized for “causing inconveniences in train services” and promised to “implement measures to prevent recurrences through a detailed investigation into the cause of the derailment in cooperation with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.”

Update, Aug. 19: added details about alternative transportation means and compensation scheme.

BY LEE SOO-JUNG [lee.soojung1@joongang.co.kr]