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Beijing Emergency Management Bureau on Monday released the investigation report on the rear-end collision accident of the Beijing subway Changping Line which injured 130 people. 18 people will be held accountable for the accident.

According to the report released by the bureau on its official website, rear-end collision happened between two subway trains while they were operated between Xi'erqi Station and Life Science Park Station on the Changping Line around 6:52 pm on December 14, 2023. The accident injured 130 people, with no deaths.

According to Beijing Public Security Judicial Authentication Center, three people suffered from severe injuries and 70 people got minor injuries. The accident caused direct economic losses of about 9.5 million yuan ($1.32 million).

The municipal government has approved the conclusion of the investigation into the accident, which reveals the accident was identified to be a production safety liability accident leading to multiple injuries. The accident was caused by factors such as the extended braking distance of the trains due to snowy weather, inadequate implementation of responding measures to snowy days by the operating unit, improper handling by the traffic dispatcher, and improper operation by the train driver.

The accident exposed significant problems, including blind spots and loopholes in safety risk identification, as well as deficiencies in investigating and rectifying hidden dangers. Additionally, specific measures tailored for snowy weather, such as adjusting train intervals and implementing speed restrictions, were not formulated.

In compliance with regulations, the accident investigation team has submitted the clues and pertinent materials related to the issues discovered in the conduct of the relevant public servants to the municipal commission for discipline inspection. A total of 18 individuals from the metro operator Beijing Subway Limited and the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport have been held accountable for the accident. The public security organ has initiated an investigation into the personnel responsible for the incident.

The accident investigation team outlined four key lessons drawn from the incident in addressing the exposed issues. These include an insufficient safety development concept, inadequate implementation of the main responsibility by the operating unit, insufficient quality and efficiency in industry supervision, and inadequate emergency preparations. Additionally, the team proposed five suggestions for rectification and prevention, including enhancing preventive skills, standardizing operation management, and strengthening safety supervision.

Global Times