The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) has imposed fines on railway operators whose negligent train maintenance and safety rule violations led to a series of deaths and property damage.
The ministry said on the 9th that its Railway Safety Administrative Disposition Deliberation Committee, which convened the previous day, decided to impose a total of 1.86 billion won in fines for five cases. These include a part detachment accident on an SRT train on the Gyeongbu high-speed line, a worker fatality at Geundeok Station on the Donghae Line, worker casualties on the Cheongdo–Namseonghyeon section of the Gyeongbu Line, and two violations of procedures for approving changes to railway safety management systems.
By operator, Korea Railroad Corporation (Korail) was fined 1.02 billion won for three cases, while SR was fined 840 million won for two cases.
The Railroad Safety Act violations by the fined railway operators are as follows.
First, the power transmission device detachment accident on an SRT train on the Gyeongbu high-speed line occurred at around 6:40 p.m. on October 20 last year. As the SRT train on the Gyeongbu high-speed line (down track) was entering Cheonan-Asan Station, a tripod in the power transmission device — a component that transfers the motor's rotation to the wheels — detached, causing approximately 4.95 billion won in property damage. This violated Article 9 of SR's High-Speed Railway Vehicle Maintenance Regulations, which requires trains to be repaired before operation when a railway vehicle malfunction occurs. As the property damage from the railway accident exceeded 2 billion won, SR was fined 720 million won.
The worker fatality at Geundeok Station on the Donghae Line occurred at around 9:22 p.m. on February 16 this year. At Geundeok Station, a worker was repairing the vehicle signaling device of an electric motor car from underneath the vehicle when a malfunction released the brakes, causing the vehicle to slide and crush the worker, killing one person. This violated Article 36 of Korail's Detailed Industrial Safety and Health Management Rules (preparation of work plans) and Article 36 of its Detailed General Railway Operation Handling Rules (restrictions on track access in high-speed sections). As the railway accident resulted in at least one but fewer than three deaths, Korail was fined 360 million won.
The worker casualty accident on the Cheongdo–Namseonghyeon section of the Gyeongbu Line occurred at around 10:49 a.m. on August 19 this year. Seven people, including safety inspection service workers, were struck by a Mugunghwa train while moving along the tracks near the Cheongdo–Namseonghyeon section of the Gyeongbu Line, killing two workers and leaving five with serious or minor injuries. This violated Attached Table 1-2 (details of routine work) of Korail's Detailed Rules on Work Affecting Train Operation Lines. The base fine of 360 million won, corresponding to at least one but fewer than three deaths, was aggravated (permissible within a range of one-half), resulting in a fine of 540 million won for Korail.
Two violations of procedures for approving changes to railway safety management systems were also confirmed. Railway operators must obtain MOLIT approval when seeking to reduce maintenance items or extend parts maintenance intervals specified in their approved railway safety management systems, but Korail and SR changed them without authorization. Korail was found to have made 44 interval increases and 177 item deletions, while SR made 44 interval increases and 15 interval extensions. These constituted violations of Article 7 of the Railroad Safety Act and Article 3 of its Enforcement Rules, and Korail and SR were each fined 120 million won.
"Violations of track work safety rules, illegal vehicle modifications, and unauthorized changes to safety management systems can lead directly to major railway accidents, including worker fatalities, so we will take strict action against violations of railroad safety laws and regulations," said Cho Sung-kyun, Director General for Railway Safety Policy at MOLIT. "We will prepare prevention measures to ensure similar accidents do not recur," he added.
