▲ Chang-dong Station on Line 1
A power outage on a section of Seoul Subway Line 1 caused major disruptions for commuters on the morning of July 8.
According to the Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL), a power supply failure occurred on the southbound track between Chang-dong Station and Sinimun Station at 7:29 a.m. today, leading to delays and irregular operations across the entire Line 1 network.
A total of 38 trains were affected by the service disruption.
KORAIL suspended operations between Dobongsan Station and Cheongnyangni Station to carry out emergency repairs, which were completed at 9:48 a.m., approximately two hours after the power failure began.
Service on the affected section resumed at 9:57 a.m., and the operator is currently working to adjust the intervals of trains on the remaining sections.
The disruption occurred during the peak morning rush hour, and the lengthy repair process significantly compounded the inconvenience for citizens.
Major stations such as Seoul Station and Yongsan Station were crowded with passengers waiting for trains as dispatch intervals widened.
At Yongsan Station in particular, an announcement was made at 8:10 a.m. that trains would only travel as far as the next stop, Namyeong Station, causing passengers to disembark simultaneously and leading to severe overcrowding on the platforms.
In the surrounding areas, long lines formed as citizens waited for buses or taxis in the rain, attempting to find alternative transportation.
Dangerous situations arose as the queues of waiting passengers spilled over crosswalks and into bus-only lanes.
KORAIL posted notices in stations stating, "We will do our best to normalize operations as quickly as possible. We apologize for the inconvenience."
However, the disruption to passenger travel continued for some time even after the power was restored.
At 10:20 a.m. at City Hall Station, announcements were still being made advising passengers to use other modes of transport due to continued delays toward Seoul Station.
On the station's electronic display boards, no train movements were shown for either direction after 9:20 a.m., roughly an hour prior.
A KORAIL official stated, "We are currently investigating the cause of the power supply failure."
Meanwhile, a network issue at Gimpo International Airport this morning also caused disruptions to departure processing and baggage handling systems.
Airport authorities stated that while some passengers experienced inconvenience, such as having to undergo manual check-in procedures instead of electronic ones, there were no flight delays.
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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