The Yeongdeungpo Station Mugunghwa Train Derailment Accident Caused by 'Poor Track Maintenance'

The fundamental cause of the Mugunghwa train derailment accident that occurred around 8:52 PM on November 6 last year within the Yeongdeungpo Station premises on the Gyeongbu Line was investigated to be 'insufficient track maintenance.'

According to the investigation results announced on the 10th by the Aviation and Railway Accident Investigation Board (hereinafter referred to as the Investigation Board), the train derailed while entering Yeongdeungpo Station due to the tongue rail, which guides the train to another track by switching the direction of the track at the railway switch introduction section, breaking from corrosion fatigue.

The Mugunghwa train derailment accident that occurred around 8:52 PM on November 6 last year within the Yeongdeungpo Station premises on the Gyeongbu Line. Korail emergency recovery team members are conducting restoration work./Photo by Jinhyung Kang aymsdream@

In particular, the Investigation Board explained that surface defects of the tongue rail had been found several times about six months before the accident, but maintenance such as grinding or replacement was not performed, and even though a detailed inspection was conducted six days prior, no problems were detected or addressed.

Additionally, the investigation confirmed that the corrosion fatigue factors of the tongue rail at the relevant switch were more severe than in other sections. The overall length of the switch was short, and the cross-sectional area of the tongue rail was smaller compared to general rails, making it structurally vulnerable to fatigue. It was also found that the number of train operations and the passing tonnage were high, increasing the likelihood of rail surface defects.

Accordingly, the Investigation Board plans to issue a total of eight safety recommendations (five to Korail and three to the Korea National Railway) focusing on thorough inspection and maintenance of switches, improvement of switch vulnerabilities, and strengthening of management standards.

Kim Sujeong, Secretary-General of the Investigation Board, stated, “We will immediately send the investigation report to the relevant agencies to submit plans or results for implementing the safety recommendations, and we will do our best to prevent similar accidents from recurring through continuous inspections and encouragement.”

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport plans to review whether to impose fines on Korail based on the investigation report and related investigation results.

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