By Gim Boram
This morning a KTX [high-speed] train departing from Gangneung, bound for Seoul, derailed. As a result ten passengers and service staff were injured. The scene of the accident, in Unsandong in Gangneung city, is situated between Gangneung and Jibu stations. Ten cars in total derailed. Additionally, we can see that the rail and electric line is damaged for 200 metres. The accident occurred at about 7:35am, just after the train departed from Gangneung. The train, number 806, suddenly jumped off the rail, with 198 passengers and 3 staff inside. After the accident 15 staff and passengers have been rushed to hospital, with around 140 passengers being brought to Jinbu station, from where they were transferred to the 10:15am service to Seoul, Korail reported. The Air and Railway Accident Investigation Committee is on the scene to investigate the cause of the incident. O Yeongsik, Korail’s president, said today that the derailment is thought to be due to rail movement caused by temperature dips, but the exact cause of the accident must be investigated. 250 workers have been mobilised to restore the train line. Heavy equipment is being used to shunt the displaced rail cars off the line. Korail is planning to recover the damaged railway tracks by the morning of the 10th, but the work is not easy due to the complexity of the track at the accident site. KTX will be shut down between Gangneung Station and Jinbu Station until the recovery and repair work is complete. KORAIL is [continuing to] transfer passengers from Gangneung Station to Jincheon Station by transferring alternative buses.
Analysis: This incident will be profoundly shocking for Koreans. Their network of high-speed KTX trains is world-renowned for its safety, efficiency and value for money, and this is by far the most serious accident to involve the KTX nextwork; the only comparable incident was in 2011 when a train bound for Busan from Seoul derailed at Gwanmyeong in Gyeonggi province, lightly injuring one passenger.