eFM News

[Anchor]

Operations on the KTX bullet train to and from Gangneung have normalized three days after a train derailed.

According to KORAIL, the first train departed Gangneung at 5:30 a.m. and safely arrived at its destination in Seoul.

Claudia Kim reports.

[Reporter]

Some 112 passengers that boarded the first train this morning continued to voice their concerns.

KORAIL President Oh Young-sik was also on the train in what was seen as an effort to calm jitters.

The transport ministry and KORAIL officials have tentatively concluded that an error in the railroad switch system that controls the tracks likely caused the derailment amid a sharp drop in temperature.

For now, the trains, which usually run at up to 300 kilometers an hour, are expected to reduce speeds to some 40 kilometers near the accident site.

On Saturday morning, a Seoul-bound KTX train with 198 passengers onboard derailed five minutes after leaving Gangneung Station, injuring more than a dozen people.

The derailment was the first major accident on the line since its opening last year ahead of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics.

Transport Minister Kim Hyun-mi visited the accident site yesterday and vowed to hold those responsible for the accident accountable.

Claudia Kim, eFM News.■