An electrical failure forced crowds of passengers to remain at a
metro interchange hub in downtown Beijing during rush hour Monday
morning.?
At around 7:55 on Monday morning an overload occurred at a
transformer substation at Xuanwumen section of the city's No. 2
line, according to sources with the city's subway operating
company.
The accident caused a failure in the metro signal system which
led to an extension of the minimum subway operation interval from
three to 10 minutes.
A large number of passengers on their way to work had to stay at
several metro stations. Some of them managed to elbow out of the
station entrances and head for work by bus or taxi. As a result
buses near the metro stations were overcrowded and taxies were in
short supply for a time.
At 8:19 AM the fault was fixed and normal operation resumed on
the subway's loop line, sources said. No casualties were
reported.?
(Xinhua News Agency December 11, 2006)