News Brief
Transport
Subway Smash in Shanghai
CFP
271 commuters were injured when two subway trains on Line 10 of the Shanghai Metro were involved in a rear-end collision September 27.
According to State media reports, the first train stopped moving following a complete failure of its automatic control system, before being rammed by the following train. Officials attributed the accident to signal failure, though transportation experts have cited human error as the most likely cause, as the Shanghai Metro’s failsafe system is designed to switch over to manual dispatch in case of breakdown. Unconfirmed reports of metro staff attempting to direct the trains via their cell phones have since emerged.
Casco, the signal systems supplier for the Shanghai Metro, already reeling from the fallout from the fatal Wenzhou bullet train collision on July 23 which officials said killed 40 people and injured 192, came under fire immediately after the accident. The incident has increased scrutiny on the rapid expansion of China’s transport network, which critics claim is being carried out with scant regard for public safety.
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Badeling Pass | Beijing
Sep 2011 | Submitted by Brian Snelson
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