By Kim Tae-jong
A KTX bullet train came to a sudden halt, Saturday, in a repeat incident of delays and inconveniences, while another one began shaking severely making a massive racket the following day.
The accidents took place as Korail, the state-run railroad operator, has been suffering severe public criticism following a series of malfunctions in recent months.
A KTX bullet train bound for Seoul from Busan stopped at 7:20 p.m. for about 9 minutes near Gimcheon Station in North Gyeongsang Province, Korail officials said Monday.
The stop was due to a malfunctioning sensor detecting heat on the high-speed train, they said.
On Sunday the drama continued as a carriage in a KTX — also bound for Seoul from Busan — shook terribly to the accompaniment of a loud noise. The shaking made baggage fall from the overhead shelf and a train attendant evacuated some 60 passengers to other carriages.
But the train, which was traveling at 300 kilometers per hour when the incident happened, did not stop and only reduced its speed to 170 kilometers per hour to arrive at Seoul Station at 2: 48 p.m., 13 minutes later than scheduled.
The operator said they were investigating the exact cause, suspecting the shaking and racket resulted from problems with some of the train wheel bogies.
But people criticized the company, arguing that it risked the lives of passengers by taking no emergency steps and running the train to the destination. The state-run railway operator has been under fire as there have been 25 incidents so far this year.