As many as 125 trains were delayed in the South Korean capital of Seoul, earlier this week, after a train operator took a four-minute toilet break — leaving hundreds of passengers late for their destinations, according to a report in the Korean Herald. The incident took place on Monday at around 8 am local time on Seoul’s Line 2 when the train conductor, operating on the outer loop, made an urgent stop at a station and hurried away to relieve himself.
An engineer kept an eye on the proceedings as the operator ran down the platform to reach the restroom. Due to the toilet being on another floor, the train operator took 4 minutes 16 seconds to return to his cabin which led to a domino effect. 125 trains following the stationary train were rescheduled with many of them delayed by 20 minutes or more from their original scheduled arrival times, as per Seoul Metro.
Usually, conductors on the circular lines typically operate for two to three hours without breaks. Though portable toilets are available for emergencies, the staff members are sometimes compelled to go to restrooms, far from the platforms.
Despite the delay in services, Seoul Metro said the disruption was largely mitigated as the passengers reached their destination with minimal inconvenience.
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Social media users react
As the news went viral, social media users expressed concerns about labour rights in the Asian country where train operators remained under constant stress due to the policies.
“Train punctuality should be prioritised but not at the cost of a single person who cannot even take a few minute break,” said one user, while another wrote: “This incident shows the realistic limitations of a one-man system.”
A third demanded that better labour laws be in place to protect the rights of the workers: “If we hire enough people so that there are no delays when going to the bathroom and protect workers’ rights, the system will run smoothly without any problems.”
Nearly 70,000 railway, subway and education service workers, affiliated with the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU) are expected to go on a general strike next month, demanding improved working conditions whilst condemning alleged workplace discrimination. regular train operators such as Korea Railroad (KORAIL), Seoul Metro (operator of subway lines 1-8) and Seoul Subway Line 9 will be part of the strike.
