Korail "Mugunghwa, ITX, Saemaeul Partial Resumption on 17th... Derailment Recovery Completed"

Partial Resumption of Operations on Gyeongbu, Jeolla, Daegu, and Gyeongjeon Lines
Derailment Recovery Completed... Only One Track Operating Between Sintanjin and Maepo

Some train services, including Mugunghwa-ho, ITX, and Saemaeul-ho, which were suspended from the 15th due to heavy rain, will partially resume from the 17th.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

KORAIL announced on the 16th that it will partially resume train operations on the Gyeongbu Line (Seoul?Daejeon, Daejeon?Busan), where recovery work from a derailment accident has been completed, as well as on the Jeolla Line (Iksan?Yeosu Expo), Daegu Line (Dongdaegu?Taehwagang, Pohang, Bujeon), and Gyeongjeon Line (Dongdaegu?Jinju).

Train operations on the Jungang Line, Janghang Line, Honam Line, Chungbuk Line, Yeongdong Line, Taebaek Line, and Gyeongbuk Line will remain suspended to ensure safety due to vulnerable track conditions caused by ground weakening and soil inflow concerns.

In particular, the Yeongdong Line and Chungbuk Line, where the roadbed was washed away by the heavy rain, are expected to require 30 to 60 days for restoration, resulting in a long-term suspension of operations.

High-speed trains (KTX) will mostly operate except for the Jungang Line and Jungbu Naeryuk Line KTX-Ieum and KTX trains passing through Suwon and Seodaejeon, which remain suspended. Metropolitan and Donghae Line commuter trains will operate normally throughout all sections. However, all trains may experience delays depending on weather and track conditions.

On the same day, KORAIL completed recovery work for the Gyeongbu Line Mugunghwa-ho derailment accident that occurred near the Maekpo Tunnel between Sintanjin and Maepo at 9:30 p.m.

Although the recovery is complete, due to ground weakening caused by the monsoon rains and the expectation of more heavy rain, trains on the Sintanjin?Maepo section will operate on a single down line for both up and down directions until the infrastructure stabilizes.

At around 10:58 p.m. on the 14th, a Mugunghwa-ho train derailed while running in Hyeondo-myeon, Seowon-gu, Cheongju-si, Chungbuk Province. The accident occurred as soil from a mountainside near a tunnel was washed onto the tracks due to heavy rain. KORAIL established an accident response headquarters at the site and mobilized about 200 personnel and equipment to carry out recovery work.

There were no casualties in this accident, but currently, all Mugunghwa-ho (32 services) and ITX Saemaeul-ho (22 services) operations between Maepo and Sintanjin on the Gyeongbu Line remain suspended. All 12 KTX trains passing through Suwon have been suspended, and 21 out of 25 KTX trains passing through Seodaejeon are also suspended.

A KORAIL official stated, "We will continue to monitor soil inflow and track ground conditions in the affected section to ensure trains can safely resume operation as soon as possible."

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