Emergency stop for Metro Line 1

A train on Metro Line 1 was forced to stop near North Zhongshan Road Station for 13 minutes around 8:30am while three passengers pulled the emergency brake.

According to Shanghai Shentong Metro Groups, the door of the train malfunctioned as the train was entering the station platform at 8:22am. The driver took four minutes to locate and fix the problem.

As the driver inspected the doors, a passenger in the third carriage pulled the emergency brake, which prevented the train from restarting.

The driver went to the carriage to release the brake. He also sent a broadcast throughout the train asking passengers to remain calm.

At 8:28am, the driver released the brake and went back to the cabin. However, another two riders again pulled the brake.

The train restarted at 8:35am. A large number of passengers were delayed due to the stop and the operation of Line 1 was affected, especially between Shanghai Railway Station and Tonghe Xincun Station.

Normal operation of Line 1 resumed at 8:52am.

Witnesses said the first man applied the brake because it was too hot in the carriage and the air-conditioning in the train was not working.

Metro operators said the temperature inside a stationary Metro train can be high as air ventilation is poor, particularly when there are many people in the train.

After the train arrived at North Zhongshan Road Station, three passengers complained of chest pains. One left the station and the other two were sent to the hospital. According to Metro operators, these two were later declared to be fine and released from hospital.

Metro police are looking for the first man who activated the brake. Despite there being witnesses, police haven’t yet identified him through security camera footage.

Metro operators said that since Line 1 is relatively old, there aren’t cameras installed in each train carriage.

They also urged the public not to pull the emergency brake unless passengers are stuck between the train and the platform. In other cases, allowing the train to stop at a platform is the best way to deal with an emergency, they said.