Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Urgently Responds to Flooding on Seoul Gajwa Station Tracks... On-site Railway Safety Inspection

Partial Track Flooding between Gajwa Station and Hongdae Entrance Station
Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Responds On-Site and Begins Recovery
Shuttle Train Operations Adjusted; Cause Under Investigation

On the 31st, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport immediately responded on-site after train operations were disrupted due to track flooding near Gajwa Station on the Gyeongui-Jungang Line in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul.

Regarding the partial track flooding incident between Gajwa Station and Hongdae Entrance Station that occurred around 8:32 a.m. that day, the Ministry dispatched the Director of Railway Facility Safety and Railway Safety Supervisors to the site and immediately activated the Railway Disaster Safety Situation Room. Recovery work is underway in cooperation with Korea Railroad Corporation and the Fire Agency.

On the 31st, officials from the fire department, Korail, and others are conducting drainage work at Gajwa Station on the Gyeongui-Jungang Line in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. Photo by Yonhap News

Currently, the sections between Munsan and Digital Media City (DMC) Station, and between Gongdeok and Yongmun Station are operating on a shuttle basis. The shuttle trains that used to run back and forth every hour on the Seoul?Sinchon?Gajwa?DMC Station route are now operating at 30-minute intervals instead of the previous 1-hour intervals.

The Ministry is working to drain the flooded sections using emergency pumps, aiming for normal operations within the day.

The cause of the flooding is presumed to be a failure of the drainage pump in the sump near Gajwa Station. The Ministry is conducting a thorough investigation into the maintenance status of the facility. A sump is a flood prevention facility that collects and discharges incoming rainwater and groundwater.

Jeong Ui-gyeong, Director of Railway Safety Policy at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stated, "The Ministry is thoroughly investigating the maintenance and repair status of sump pumps. If any safety management issues are found, corrective measures and administrative actions will be implemented."

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