"What if a train catches fire?" MOLIT conducts practical emergency-response drill

[Financial News] The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) will conduct a practical emergency-response drill simulating a train fire.
According to MOLIT on the 10th, it will conduct a drill on the 11th near Macheon Station on Seoul Subway Line 5 and in the tunnel section between Dunchon-dong Station and Gil-dong Station. The exercise will simulate an emergency stop and assess the response system among railway operating organizations.
The drill follows a series of battery fires on subway trains in recent months. Battery-related incidents occurred on Seoul Subway Line 3 in April and Line 2 in May, raising the need to assess operators’ ability to respond to unusual situations. MOLIT, Seoul Metro, the Korea Transportation Safety Authority, firefighting authorities, and participating citizens will take part. The exercise will even simulate the extreme situation of an emergency stop inside a tunnel during train operation, allowing officials to assess initial response and passenger evacuation procedures.
The drill will proceed under two scenarios based on situations that could occur in real life. The first simulates battery thermal runaway while a train is in service, assessing whether the control center, driver, and station staff properly communicate the situation and take initial action.
The first scenario involves stopping at an adjacent station. It assumes that a fire breaks out on a train departing Geoyeo Station and that responders act before and after the train arrives at the next station, Macheon Station. The exercise will assess the entire process under the emergency-response manual, from recognizing and relaying the situation to initial measures—including guiding passengers in firefighting, dispatching personnel to the scene, and evacuating passengers—as well as communication with relevant agencies and recovery measures. Officials will also emphasize the importance of public cooperation, as passengers’ voluntary efforts to extinguish a fire with beverages or other liquids during its early stages can be decisive in preventing it from spreading.
The second scenario involves stopping inside a tunnel. It assumes that a fire breaks out on a train departing Dunchon-dong Station and that the train stops inside a tunnel after a passenger operates the emergency handle or lever. In addition to the procedures for stopping at an adjacent station, the exercise will focus on the driver’s and control center’s ability to respond quickly and accurately at the scene, including communicating with passengers, initial firefighting, evacuation guidance, checking for passengers left behind, and instructing nearby trains to stop. The drill is intended to prepare for such situations because, in May last year, a train made an emergency stop after an arson attack in the Yeouinaru Station section of Seoul Subway Line 5, prompting passengers to evacuate onto the tracks.
MOLIT continues to conduct railway disaster-response drills for railway operators nationwide, including Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL) and Seoul Metro. Through the third quarter of this year, it had conducted 13 drills in total on systems including Airport Railroad and Gimpo Goldline. For the fourth quarter, it plans six more drills involving Gwangju Transportation Corporation, Daejeon Transportation Corporation, Daegu Transportation Corporation, and Busan Transportation Corporation.
A MOLIT official stated, "In railway accidents, initial response and systematic passenger evacuation when an emergency occurs are key to reducing casualties. We will continue to do our utmost to create a safe railway environment that people can use with confidence by strengthening our response capabilities through thorough drills that are indistinguishable from real-life situations."

[email protected] Jeong Gyeong-su Reporter