The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced that it will conduct a drill starting at 2 p.m. tomorrow (the 11th) simulating a battery thermal runaway situation during train operation, covering the area around Macheon Station on Seoul Subway Line 5 and the tunnel section between Dunchon-dong Station and Gil-dong Station, to inspect response systems among railway operators.

Participants in the drill include the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Seoul Metro, the Korea Transportation Safety Authority, the Uijeongbu City Hall, the Uijeongbu Fire Station, and citizen participants.

The drill will consist of two scenarios based on situations that could actually occur.

First, a drill will be conducted for a situation where a fire breaks out on a train departing from Geoyeo Station before and after arriving at the next station, Macheon Station. This will check situation awareness and dissemination by the train driver and control center, initial responses, communication systems among relevant organizations, and recovery measures in accordance with emergency response manuals.
 
A drill simulating an extreme situation will also be held, where a fire breaks out on a train departing from Dunchon-dong Station and the train stops inside a tunnel due to a passenger arbitrarily operating the emergency handle (lever).

This will intensively inspect the prompt on-site response capabilities of train drivers and control centers, such as checking for remaining passengers and ordering adjacent trains to stop.

Including this drill, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has conducted a total of 13 railway disaster response drills up to the third quarter of this year, and is planning 6 more drills in the fourth quarter.

Cho Sung-kyun, Director General for Railway Safety Policy at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, stated, "Initial response and systematic passenger evacuation in the event of an emergency are key to reducing casualties in railway accidents," adding, "Through thorough drills that are no different from actual situations, we will continue to enhance our capability to respond to railway accidents and disasters, doing our utmost to create a safe railway environment that the public can use with peace of mind."

(Photo provided by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, Yonhap News)