Subway Platform Safety Door Advertisement Board Replaced with Foldable Type... "Easy Escape in Emergencies"

Seoul Metro Completes Improvement of 3,810 Fixed Doors and 1,987 Fixed Advertising Panels at 132 Stations

[Asia Economy Reporter Jo In-kyung] Seoul Metro announced on the 22nd that it has completed the replacement of 3,810 fixed doors at 132 stations on subway lines 1 to 8 with the same number of emergency doors, and replaced 1,987 fixed advertising panels with 1,499 foldable advertising panels.

The replaced foldable advertising panels are designed to fold when opened from the inside during emergencies, facilitating easy escape, and are made of flame-retardant fabric material, enhancing safety. Unlike the previous acrylic material panels, there is no glare, significantly increasing the brightness of the advertisements, which has been highly appreciated by advertisers. The size and specifications of the new foldable advertising panels are the same as those of the existing fixed advertising panels.

Following the Guui Station accident in 2016, the corporation has been promoting a project to improve platform screen door fixed panels into operable emergency doors to ensure safety. However, since advertising contracts had already been signed, dismantling was difficult, and the corporation has been striving to introduce alternative advertising panels that can achieve both revenue generation through advertising and safety assurance.

After testing various types of advertising panels, the foldable advertising panel method was adopted, which folds when the emergency door handle (panic bar) is opened from the inside. A pilot operation at Wangsimni Station on Line 2 in August last year showed that the emergency door opening time was short, about 1 to 2 seconds, and the panels were easy to attach and detach, resulting in high safety and maintenance effectiveness. The foldable advertising panels can carry existing advertisements as they are, allowing the remaining contract period with advertising agencies to be maintained.

However, discussions are ongoing to improve 1,840 fixed platform screen doors installed through private investment in some subway stations during the initial introduction of platform screen doors.

Kim Sang-beom, President of Seoul Metro, said, "As announced last July, we have successfully carried out the platform screen door fixed panel improvement project by the end of the year," and added, "We will continue to prioritize customer safety and convenience and strive to secure the sustainability of the subway advertising business."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.