Power Outage on Seoul Subway Line 1 Causes Morning Commuter Chaos

Commuter chaos erupted on the morning of July 8 as a power outage on a section of Seoul Subway Line 1 caused significant disruptions to train operations.

According to the Korea Railroad Corporation (KORAIL), a power supply failure occurred between Chang-dong Station and Sinimun Station on the southbound line at 7:29 a.m. today, leading to delays and irregular service across the entire Line 1 network.

KORAIL suspended southbound operations between Dobongsan Station and Cheongnyangni Station to carry out repairs, but as of 9:30 a.m.—two hours after the power outage began—service had not yet been restored.

As the disruptions continued for an extended period, major stations became crowded with passengers waiting for trains as headways between services increased.

At Yongsan Station in particular, passengers were forced to disembark after an announcement stated that trains would only travel as far as the next stop, Namyeong Station, leading to severe congestion on the platform.

Around Yongsan Station, long lines formed as citizens who had disembarked from the subway sought alternative transportation, waiting for buses and taxis.

In the process, the queues of waiting passengers spilled over from crosswalks into bus-only lanes.

A KORAIL official stated, "We are currently investigating the cause of the power supply failure," adding, "We will do our best to normalize operations."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.