KORAIL blamed for lax discipline, poor safety measures
Last Sunday night, a train derailed in southwestern Seoul, injuring about 30 passengers and delaying rail operations for nearly a day. A day before, one railway worker was killed and another injured after being struck by a cargo train in Uiwang, south of Seoul. The successive incidents have put the safety record of Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL) in question. Concerns are mounting about these accidents leading to large-scale mishaps.
It was the third train derailment this year, following previous incidents in January and July. Notably, the two derailment incidents by KTX trains this year alone are no less serious, given that there had been only five such accidents between 2004 and 2021. The probability of bullet trains' derailment is low. However, if an accident occurs at high speeds, it would lead to huge casualties.
KORAIL is notorious for industrial accidents as well, earning the shameful title of the most accident-prone state company. Over the past six years, there have been 803 industrial accidents at KORAIL, including 222 at its five subsidiaries, an average of 13 cases a month. More than half of those accidents occurred at KORAIL Tech which is responsible for maintaining train coaches and other facilities. Since many accidents occur during track work, countermeasures are urgently needed.
The latest accident took place when the public's safety awareness peaked due to the deadly Halloween crowd crush in Itaewon on Oct. 29. When he took office about a year ago, KORAIL President Na Hee-sung vowed to "make a rail service that puts safety ahead of all else" but he has failed to prevent accidents. Reflecting the state rail service's lax discipline, KORAIL received the lowest grade (E) in management evaluation and fourth grade (insufficient) in safety management last year.
On Monday, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong reiterated his call for drastic reform of the state rail service, saying, "KORAIL must change everything, from A to Z." The rail company should learn the lessons from the Itaewon disaster and implement fundamental safety measures. It should no longer endanger the lives of railway workers and passengers.
Last Sunday night, a train derailed in southwestern Seoul, injuring about 30 passengers and delaying rail operations for nearly a day. A day before, one railway worker was killed and another injured after being struck by a cargo train in Uiwang, south of Seoul. The successive incidents have put the safety record of Korea Railroad Corp. (KORAIL) in question. Concerns are mounting about these accidents leading to large-scale mishaps.
It was the third train derailment this year, following previous incidents in January and July. Notably, the two derailment incidents by KTX trains this year alone are no less serious, given that there had been only five such accidents between 2004 and 2021. The probability of bullet trains' derailment is low. However, if an accident occurs at high speeds, it would lead to huge casualties.
KORAIL is notorious for industrial accidents as well, earning the shameful title of the most accident-prone state company. Over the past six years, there have been 803 industrial accidents at KORAIL, including 222 at its five subsidiaries, an average of 13 cases a month. More than half of those accidents occurred at KORAIL Tech which is responsible for maintaining train coaches and other facilities. Since many accidents occur during track work, countermeasures are urgently needed.
The latest accident took place when the public's safety awareness peaked due to the deadly Halloween crowd crush in Itaewon on Oct. 29. When he took office about a year ago, KORAIL President Na Hee-sung vowed to "make a rail service that puts safety ahead of all else" but he has failed to prevent accidents. Reflecting the state rail service's lax discipline, KORAIL received the lowest grade (E) in management evaluation and fourth grade (insufficient) in safety management last year.
On Monday, Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Won Hee-ryong reiterated his call for drastic reform of the state rail service, saying, "KORAIL must change everything, from A to Z." The rail company should learn the lessons from the Itaewon disaster and implement fundamental safety measures. It should no longer endanger the lives of railway workers and passengers.
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