Subway Halted at Minus 20 Degrees... Buses Crowded, People Shivering on the Streets

Subway Line 3 Muakjae Station Tunnel Fire Halts Service for Nearly 2 Hours
Commuters Head to Bus Stops... Crowded Buses Sometimes Skip Stops

[Asia Economy Reporters Ryu Jeong-min and Choi Tae-won] "There is smoke coming from the tunnel between Muakjae and Dongnimmun right now...".

Today (the 23rd) at 6:44 a.m., at Hongje Station on Seoul Subway Line 3, a train heading from Daehwa Station in Ilsan, Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do to Ogeum Station in Songpa-gu, Seoul came to a halt. Commuters who boarded the subway to go to work looked bewildered. The initial announcement mentioned "smoke occurrence." "Due to smoke in the tunnel, the train cannot depart. Passengers in a hurry are advised to use other means of transportation."

Passengers began to exit the train one by one. After several more announcements with the same message, even more passengers got off the train. Upon exiting the subway station, it was literally like a "freezer." That morning, the lowest temperature in Seoul dropped to minus 14 degrees Celsius, marking the strongest cold wave of this winter. With the wind, the wind chill temperature fell below minus 20 degrees Celsius. The highest temperature during the day was also minus 9 degrees Celsius.

On the morning of the 23rd, a fire broke out on the tracks inside the tunnel between Muakjae Station and Dongnimmun Station on Seoul Subway Line 3. Citizens are trying to board a crowded bus passing by a stop near Muakjae Station. Photo by Choi Taewon

That morning, the central bus stop near Hongje Station had more passengers waiting for buses than usual. In addition to the usual commuters waiting at the bus stop, passengers who had planned to take Line 3 to work also crowded the bus stop, causing chaos.

Buses in the 700 and 7000 series heading towards the city were packed to the point where there was no room to step. Even when buses arrived, passengers could not board as the entrances and aisles were full. After the bus driver opened the rear door, passengers who managed to get on started their commute again on the crowded buses.

According to the fire department, around 6:24 a.m., a fire broke out on the tracks between Muakjae Station and Dongnimmun Station. Firefighters who responded to the report extinguished the fire after about an hour and a half. The fire originated from a high-voltage cable on the track bed. The fire department deployed 17 vehicles including pump trucks and 69 personnel, completing the extinguishing operation around 7:54 a.m. No citizens were injured, but 4 meters of track cable were destroyed.

Seoul Metro resumed full operation of Line 3 from 8:12 a.m. after inspection following the fire extinguishing. The peak dispatch time was also extended until 10 a.m. However, the train service was suspended for a total of 1 hour and 48 minutes, causing significant inconvenience to commuters heading to work and school.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Due to the subway service suspension, citizens’ transportation shifted to buses. Seoul City extended the peak dispatch time for all 373 city bus routes until 10 a.m., but it was insufficient. Many citizens were left frustrated, watching overcrowded buses pass by bus stops in the severe cold.

At a bus stop near Muakjae Station, Mr. Jeong (65) was met with frost on his eyebrows. He said, "I came from Hongje Station, but the subway was blocked and the bus stop was overcrowded with people. It reminded me of the Itaewon tragedy, so I was scared and walked all the way to Muakjae Station."

The severe cold will continue through the weekend. The Korea Meteorological Administration forecasted that due to a cold continental high-pressure system moving south from northern China, temperatures will drop sharply again on the 24th. The lowest temperature on the morning of the 24th is expected to range from minus 20 to minus 2 degrees Celsius, with Seoul’s morning temperature expected to fall to minus 13 degrees Celsius.

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