KORAIL Completes Seosomun Overpass Accident Recovery, Full Train Service to Resume on the 31st

[Financial News] Recovery from the Seosomun Overpass accident has been fully completed, and train operations will return to normal from the 31st.
According to Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) on the 30th, the rail line between Seoul and Sinchon, which had been restricted, resumed service with the first train of the day. As a result, KTX service between Haengsin Station and Seoul and Yongsan has restarted, and the Gangneung and Jungang Line KTX-Eum trains, which had been running only as far as Cheongnyangni Station, are now entering Seoul Station normally.
Immediately after the accident on the 26th, KORAIL activated its Regional Accident Response Headquarters under the leadership of President Kim Tae-seung. Working under a "safety first" principle, the company carried out recovery efforts by mobilizing all available resources.
Because removing the debris from the overpass was expected to take a long time, KORAIL proactively adjusted the overhead catenary near the site and inspected the tracks in advance so that facility restoration could begin at the same time as the demolition work.
In parallel, the company deployed 14 pieces of recovery equipment, including mobile cranes, excavators and electric railcars, along with 115 workers, completing the restoration ahead of schedule. KORAIL said this allowed more time for comprehensive safety checks, including trial runs before reopening.
During the recovery period, KORAIL adjusted train operations flexibly. KTX trains made temporary stops at all stations to maintain service intervals and reduce inconvenience for passengers at intermediate stops. Regular trains were operated as far as Cheonan station and Suwon Station whenever possible, while repeated shuttle operations centered on Daejeon Station improved efficiency.
The company also minimized the number of trains taken out of service by using a distributed maintenance system at depots nationwide, including in Daejeon, Busan and Gwangju Metropolitan City. More than 500 technical support staff from the Goyang KTX Rolling Stock Depot, or about 130 per day on average, were urgently dispatched to the Gwangmyeong Stabling Depot, which does not have resident maintenance staff, to carry out emergency maintenance on braking systems, doors and passenger cabin equipment.
Kim Tae-seung, president of KORAIL, said, "I would like to express my gratitude to the related agencies that worked together for a swift and safe recovery," adding, "Despite the unavoidable reduction in train services, we will repay the public, who trusted us and waited, with even safer and more convenient rail services."
Meanwhile, as time passed after the accident and more trains approached their inspection deadlines, KORAIL has been sequentially replacing vehicles that had undergone temporary maintenance and sending them back to depots for maintenance and inspection work.

kwj5797@fnnews.com Kim Won-joon Reporter