On the morning of the 13th, a ladder truck tipped over, cutting off electricity supply to the Gyeongui Line, causing some train operations to be disrupted. With KTX and regular trains departing from Seoul Station or Yongsan Station unable to leave the depot, passengers waited in the lounge, anxiously awaiting the arrival of trains. They also managed to cancel existing train tickets and barely get standing tickets.
According to Korea Railroad Corporation (Korail), around 8:19 a.m. that day, a ladder truck that was carrying moving goods to an 18th-floor apartment in Yeonhui-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, lost its balance and fell toward the opposite railway. The ladder truck fell and made contact with the power supply lines. Due to this incident, electricity supply was interrupted along a 2.7-kilometer section from Gajwa Station to Sinchon Station, halting train operations. At Sinchon Station, commuting passengers on the halted train opened the doors and moved along the tracks to the station.
With the power supply cut off, KTX and regular trains could not come out from the Seoul Vehicle Business Department near Su-seok Station. Additionally, the Gyeongui Line tracks were damaged due to the ladder truck tipping over, and three dwellings across the tracks were struck, resulting in partial damage to fences, roofs, and solar panels.
The train departure information display board installed in the Seoul Station lounge shows that some train operations have been interrupted. Around 9:25 a.m., the display board at Seoul Station indicated that the ITX Saemaul train scheduled to depart for Jinju at 9:08 a.m. had been 'suspended.' By 9:45 a.m., the announcement for the KTX Sanchun train heading to Yeosu Expo had disappeared from the display. When a passenger inquired with a staff member, they said, 'It has not yet been determined which platform the train will arrive at.'
Around 10:14 a.m. that day, an announcement came from Seoul Station stating, 'The ITX-Maeum train to Busan at 10:48 a.m. has been suspended due to the ladder truck overturning at Sinchon Station. Passengers using this train are advised to take other trains or alternative transportation.'
Ms. Kim (75), who was trying to go to Gimcheon Station with her husband on this train, said, 'I had been waiting here for two hours, and just when it was about time to depart, suddenly it showed 'suspended' on the display. We received no separate notification.' When Ms. Kim asked the staff about taking another train, she managed to secure a ticket for a different train departing at 12:21 p.m. However, one of the seats was standing.
Around 10:22 a.m. that day, the display board at Seoul Station indicated that operations for the ITX Maeum and ITX Saemaul trains to Busan had been suspended. Announcements regarding train operation interruptions and delays were made only in Korean, leaving foreign visitors inconvenienced. The display board indicated 'canceled' in English or showed no sign at all. A couple from Hong Kong said, 'Is this how things normally are in Korea?'
A fire department official said during a briefing at the accident site around 10:50 a.m., 'Korail plans to cut and lift the overturned ladder truck, and then will commence track restoration work. Currently, we are in the process of cutting the ladder,' adding, 'It is expected to take at least five hours to restore.' Accordingly, normalization of KTX and regular train operations is expected to be possible around 4 p.m.
A Korail official stated, 'Trains arriving and departing from Seoul Station and Yongsan Station are operating; please check Korail Talk and other platforms before using the trains.'