Daegu Mayor Choo Kyung-ho chairs an emergency meeting Monday on disruptions to urban railway Line 3. [Daegu city government]
Daegu Mayor Choo Kyung-ho chairs an emergency meeting Monday on disruptions to urban railway Line 3. [Daegu city government]

Daegu Mayor Choo Kyung-ho sharply criticized the Daegu Transportation Corporation and city transport officials over a string of recent service disruptions on urban railway Line 3, ordering them to draw up fundamental measures to prevent a recurrence.

Choo convened an emergency meeting Monday morning and said it was "unacceptable that citizens have to board trains while worrying about their safety," adding that failing to maintain basic safe operations "is a betrayal of public trust."

Line 3 has suffered three disruptions in two months. On Saturday, a lightning-rod ground fault knocked out service across the entire line. On Nov. 2, a track-switch malfunction at Yongji Station during the morning rush hour delayed trains for 16 minutes. Also on Saturday, at around 2:20 p.m., a body-grounding fault halted service for 36 minutes.

The Saturday incident drew particular criticism because it occurred just two days after the Daegu Transportation Corporation's management and the city's transport bureau had conducted a special on-site safety inspection, raising questions about the effectiveness of the review.

Choo ordered a comprehensive review of the existing inspection framework, a tightening of discipline across all staff, and strict action against any lapses.

Choo also directed the Daegu Transportation Corporation to immediately carry out five measures: a company-wide investigation into the causes of the accidents; a thorough, high-intensity inspection of all aspects of Line 3; the development of recurrence-prevention steps that citizens can tangibly feel; improvements to initial response and public information systems; and the establishment of a clear accountability structure.

Choo said the corporation should conduct a full reinspection of all equipment and components from the outset in conjunction with outside experts, and shift from a repair-after-the-fact approach to a preventive maintenance system. He also called for improvements to the public notification system so that accurate information can reach passengers quickly when an incident occurs.

"Urban railway safety is a matter directly tied to citizens' lives — one that cannot be compromised for any reason," Choo said. "We will manage Line 3 rigorously until it is restored as a mode of transport that citizens can ride with confidence."


kbj7653@heraldcorp.com