The carbon dioxide warning that hit the peaceful commute, the full story of the commotion at Anam Station > News

The accident began with firefighting equipment inspection work conducted at the substation on the first basement floor of Anam Station on the morning of the 16th. According to the drivers, the inspection began around 9:40 a.m., and about an hour later, at around 10:40 a.m., an unexpected release of carbon dioxide occurred. As the carbon dioxide extinguishing device, which is the core of the firefighting equipment, activated, gas rapidly flowed into the station, causing anxiety among citizens and causing an emergency evacuation. Station staff and passengers at the scene sensed immediate danger and moved out of the station, and Seoul Transportation Corporation recognized the seriousness of the situation and immediately completely controlled the use of the station.

Seoul Transportation Corporation's response was prompt. Immediately after the gas leak was confirmed, the corporation took quick action by informing nearby citizens of the situation through safety text messages and recommending a detour. In particular, to prevent further damage until the gas concentration at the accident site reached a safe range, trains in both directions on Line 6 were allowed to pass through Anam Station without stopping. This non-stop action lasted for about 20 minutes, during which time fire authorities, police, and officials from related organizations were dispatched to the scene and focused on determining the exact cause and amount of the gas leak.

What is noteworthy in this incident is the nature of the ‘fire inspection’ that caused the accident. It is ironic that a safety accident occurred during the essential inspection process to maintain and improve safety of aging subway station facilities. Some reports suggest that device malfunction or poor operation may have occurred during the gas container inspection process, and a detailed investigation into this is currently underway. Fortunately, it was determined that there were no casualties from this accident, but it sends a chill down my spine to think about what the consequences would have been if the gas concentration had been higher or if evacuation had been delayed.

The accident scene was quickly completed in about 20 minutes. At 11:01 a.m., the corporation confirmed that all carbon dioxide inside the station had been emitted, completed safety inspections, and normalized train operations and station operations. The safety robots and other recovery equipment that were deployed at the time of the accident were immediately withdrawn, and Anam Station returned to its normal state. This accident once again reminded us of the dangers that firefighting equipment can have in the closed environment of public transportation, such as the subway. Although it is best to prevent accidents, this reaffirms the fact that how organically the response system operates in the event of an accident is directly related to the lives of passengers.