Subway operator's mix-up forces all passengers to get out at wrong stop

A Seoul subway (Yonhap)

A Seoul Metro operator recently made all passengers exit the train at the wrong station, mistaking it for its final destination, Seoul Metro said Friday.

The operator of subway train No. 6221 of Line No.6 stopped at the Sangwolgok Station at around 6:23 p.m. on Wednesday and notified all passengers to vacate the train, according to the main operator of the greater Seoul's transit system. The passengers were told the train was not bound for Sinnae Station in Jungrang-gu, the last station on the northern end of Line No.6.

But the train in question was actually bound for Bonghwasan Station, which was five stops away and just one stop before Sinnae Station. Confused by the mix-up, some passengers failed to get out of the train on time and were stuck on the train for a short time.

The state-run Seoul Metro said the operator had been confused because the platforms of the Sangwolgok and Bonghwasan stations looked similar. It said the operator in question would be temporarily removed from duty and given further training.

By Yoon Min-sik(minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)