Update: Beijing Subway maintains normal operation along parts of Changping Line after carriage disengagement leaves 30 injured
Beijing Subway on Friday issued measures to maintain normal operation of parts of the city's Changping Line including using shuttle buses to ensure normal commuter traffic, with all subway trains on above-ground and elevated lines being operated manually, at reduced speed and increased intervals between trains to ensure the safe operation during extreme weather, after a carriage disengagement incident occurred on Thursday night.
Beijing Subway apologized again on Friday over the incident, which injured more than 30 people, while putting in place measures to reduce the inconvenience to passengers.
The Changping Line will maintain normal operation from Zhuxinzhuang Station to Changping Xishankou Station, and the section from Xi'erqi Station to Xitucheng Station. Residents can transfer to downtown via Line 8 and Line 13. Shuttle buses will be available for transportation between Xi'erqi Station and Zhuxinzhuang stations. In addition, bus services along the route will be increased to provide transportation options for commuters, according to Beijing Subway.
On Thursday evening, several videos circulating online showed that a Beijing subway Changping Line train split in the middle as carriages disengaged. Beijing Subway said a preliminary finding shows that the incident on the Changping Line was due to a vehicle malfunction.
More than 30 people were injured due to the incident and no one died. The injured are being sent to hospitals for treatment, and the cause of the accident is being investigated, according to an official announcement.
Around 10:30 pm on Thursday, the Beijing transportation authority stated that all people involved at the site had been completely evacuated and that all injured individuals had been transported to hospitals for treatment. There were no fatalities.
The authority also issued a reminder to residents that service between Xi'erqi Station and Life Science Park Station on the Changping Line has been suspended. However, service on other sections of the line is operating normally.
Beijing Subway said there was no power on the contact rails on the section from Xi'erqi station to Life Science Park station on the Changping Line (northbound). Some trains have been temporarily stopped and some have been delayed. The staff are currently organizing rescue operations.
A passenger was quoted as saying in media reports that around 6:50 pm, they heard a loud noise in front of them, and then the train stopped with "a strong sense of impact." There were many passengers in the carriage and many of them fell down.
"I was pinned down, and everyone was shouting in the dark. Fortunately, the people next to me pulled me up," the passenger recalled. "Now everyone is standing."
On-site videos show that the subway was in a suspended state, with dark and crowded carriages. Some passengers were searching for their lost phones on the floor. Many were using their phone lights to gradually walk out of the carriage and wait for rescue. The sound of nearby rescue vehicles could be heard, according to media reports.
A netizen named TY_lizhenwei said via Sina Weibo, "I never expected to experience such an incident in my life. I was near the door where the subway carriage disengaged. I am grateful that I was not injured and thank the private car driver who gave me a ride, ensuring my safe arrival home."
Another netizen expressed a wish that each worker could get home safely and early during the snowy day.
There was currently a power outage in the subway. Passengers called 110, 119 and other emergency numbers, and some rescuers were heading to the site of the incident. Some netizens also saw ambulances and fire trucks parked near the Life Science Park station. Online videos showed that passengers in the train were injured.
The meteorological information shows that on Thursday, there were moderate snow in Changping, a district in Beijing. The highest temperature during the day is -1 C, the lowest temperature at night is -6 C, and the wind is easterly.
Some passengers who were stuck in the train used survival hammers to smash the windows to escape from the train, some online videos showed.