Over five hundred individuals were transported to hospitals following a rear-end collision involving two subway trains in Beijing on Thursday morning. The Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport reported snowy and icy tracks caused the brakes on the lead train to suddenly engage, while the following train slid uncontrollably downhill and crashed into the stopped lead train.
The Transport Commission confirmed no fatalities resulted from the accident that happened during rush hour on an above-ground portion of track that had experienced recent heavy snowfall and frigid temperatures.
The Beijing Transport Ministry issued a sincere apology for the frightening accident that stranded and injured passengers. They pledged to fully treat the injured parties and properly handle accident aftermath while working to improve operations involving extreme weather and emergency response protocols to ensure urban transportation safety.
Degraded Signals Initiate Sudden Braking, Leading to Collision
The Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport provided details about the factors resulting in the rear-end subway collision. Snowy conditions caused degraded signaling that triggered unexpected braking of the lead subway train. The trailing train was traveling downhill and could not stop soon enough on the slippery tracks, resulting in it slamming full force into the suddenly halted front train.