Mystery KTX train failures terrorize passengers
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Eight KTX trains stopped abruptly on Thursday night, terrifying passengers. The cause of the power failure is unknown. / The Korea Times File
By Lee Han-soo
Eight trains between East Daegu and Chilgok County in North Gyeongsang Province stopped abruptly at 11:18 p.m. Thursday, panicking passengers.
The stops ranged from 15 minutes to an hour and passengers began to worry because no announcements were made.
KTX 184, bound for Seoul from Busan, was halted for 55 minutes inside Waryong Tunnel No. 1.
Passengers trembled with fear and the cold as a backup generator failed. Some even called the emergency hotline and asked whether they should escape by breaking a window.
Korail turned on the tunnel lights at 11:26 p.m. and sent emergency crews to the site. The train was fixed and sent back to Busan.
“There was a power failure on the electric car line for unknown reasons,” a Korail employee told Yonhap news agency. “We are currently investigating the accident. Electrical problems happen from time to time. Although we closely monitor the system, we cannot prevent it from happening.”