'Disaster Movie-Like' Hundreds Exhausted Inside and Outside History... KTX Busan Station in Chaos

Korail "Compensation Plan for Taxi Fares and Others"

Confusion arose as multiple trains were delayed due to a KTX train derailment accident, and photos capturing the situation at the time were released online.

The derailment of the KTX Sancheon train running from Dongdaegu Station to Gyeongju Station was resolved within a day. KORAIL announced that they completed accident recovery and facility inspections, and resumed normal operations from the first KTX train in both directions on the Gyeongbu Line on the morning of the 19th.

[Image source=Online Community]

Earlier, at around 4:38 PM the previous day, a Seoul-bound KTX Sancheon train heading to Busan derailed one wheel near Gomo Station in Suseong-gu, Daegu, while traveling from Dongdaegu Station to Gyeongju Station and stopped. The 384 passengers on board transferred to subsequent trains at the site.

However, afterward, KTX trains between Dongdaegu Station and Busan Station operated alternately in both directions using a single track. Additionally, some KTX trains were rerouted via conventional lines, causing delays of several hours compared to the originally scheduled times, resulting in significant inconvenience for citizens enduring the heat.

In response, KORAIL allowed standing passengers and deployed large buses for citizens waiting for trains at Dongdaegu Station. However, the sudden influx of passengers led to crowded conditions.

Photos showing the crowded situation at Busan Station titled "Busan Station situation due to today's KTX derailment accident" were also posted on online communities and social networking services (SNS) the previous day. The released photos showed passengers waiting for trains sitting on the ground in front of Busan Station with their luggage. The waiting area was also packed with passengers.

Netizens who saw the photos commented, "I've never seen so many people at Busan Station," "It looked like a disaster movie with people sitting on the ground and staff shouting 'Recovery in progress' at the top of their lungs. Everyone looked exhausted," "I thought they were evacuating," and "Everyone is having a hard time. It seems like it will greatly affect Monday's commute," among various reactions.

Passengers are waiting in front of Busan Station following the KTX train derailment accident on the 18th. [Image source=Online Community]

Meanwhile, KORAIL stated that 153 trains including KTX and SRT were delayed by up to 277 minutes due to this accident and announced plans to compensate customers for taxi fares and other expenses. Details on compensation and application methods will be announced on the Let's KORAIL website.

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