Bird’s nest halts train for nearly an hour

By 임정요

Published : April 27, 2016 - 16:00

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The mugunghwa train that was traveling from North Jeolla Province’s Imsil-gun to Iksan-gun on Wednesday morning had to stop for about 50 minutes due to a cut in electricity supply. The cause behind the glitch was later found out to be a short circuit caused by a magpie nest built on an electricity line.

(Yonhap)

The incident took place around 7:20 a.m., causing delays for around 30 passengers who were mostly university students and workers setting out for the day.

Korea Railroad Corporation, the state-run operator of mugunghwa trains, promptly ran diagnostics for the train and resumed service at around 8:10 a.m.

The passengers who suffered inconvenience due to the incident on Wednesday will receive refunds.

(Yonhap)

Korail said such incidents frequently occur between February and May every year, when magpies build nests during their breeding season. According to the railroad corporation, the number of magpie nests removed from electricity lines this year so far number at nearly 6,900.

Meanwhile, an overnight mugunghwa train traveling from Seoul to the city of Yeosu in South Jeolla Province derailed last Friday, killing one engineer and injuring eight passengers.

By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)

Bird’s nest halts train for nearly an hour

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