Incheon Transit Corporation Named Top Institution for Railway Safety Last Year... KORAIL Receives Lowest Rating

Incheon Transit Corporation was selected as the top institution for railway safety management last year. Daegu Transit Corporation and Seoul Metro Line 9 were also recognized as outstanding institutions. Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) received the lowest rating.

According to the results of the railway safety management level assessment announced by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Korea Transportation Safety Authority on May 19, Incheon Transit Corporation, Daegu Transit Corporation, and Seoul Metro Line 9 received perfect scores in the accident indicator category due to having no accidents. Incheon Transit Corporation scored highly in safety management thanks to its field-oriented safety activities and its high level of establishing a safety culture among employees.

Elementary school students participating in the new semester electric train safety experience held at the Gyulhyeon Vehicle Depot of Incheon Transit Corporation in Gyeyang District, Incheon, are practicing emergency action procedures for electric trains. Photo by Yonhap News Agency

This assessment, introduced in 2018, is a measure to encourage railway operators to voluntarily manage safety and covers 25 domestic railway operators and facility managers. Twenty-one institutions, including the National Railroad Authority, received a B rating. Seoul Metro and Uijeongbu Light Rail Transit were upgraded by one level from a C rating last year. SR and Seobu Metropolitan Railway were rated poorly in the accident indicator and safety maturity categories.

Korea Railroad Corporation received a C rating, which is considered an average level and the lowest among the organizations assessed. The accident indicator for the corporation fell by about 11% due to incidents such as the Gyeongui Line train derailment and fatal accidents involving workers on the Gyeongbu Line. Korea Railroad Corporation will undergo an inspection to check the adequacy of its safety management system. No institutions were rated at the D or E levels, which indicate insufficient or poor performance. The overall average score was 85.38 out of 100, a slight decline from the previous year.

Kim Taebyeong, Director of the Railway Bureau at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stated, "From this year, we have placed greater emphasis on individual interviews with employees and management’s awareness of safety culture to more accurately assess the actual safety management level of institutions," adding, "We will encourage railway operators to strengthen their field-execution capabilities in safety management systems and to establish systems to prevent railway accidents by utilizing AI and advanced equipment."

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