Society

Shanghai subway line shut down due to collision

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-12-22 11:49
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SHANGHAI: A pivotal subway line in Shanghai was shut down early Tuesday for power system failure and a subsequent collision of two trains.

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A short circuit caused a power system breakdown in Shanghai Subway Line 1 at 5:50 am, halting traffic between the Southern Shaanxi Road and the People's Square in the city center, said an official with the subway operator, Shanghai Metro.

The power system was about to be restored when two subway trains collided on the route at 7 am. The two trains, coded 150 and 117, were both driving slowly and no injury was reported, the official said.

But the collision led to a complete shut-down of Line 1, forcing thousands of passengers to take buses instead.

The city's public transport operators mobilized 80 additional buses to divert the anxious crowds in the morning peak hour.

The cause of the accident is being investigated.

Shanghai Metro has published an apology at its official website.

Line 1 is Shanghai's oldest and busiest subway route. It went into operation in 1993 and runs 37 kilometers from north to south.