Shanghai locals concerned about metro safety; officials launch probe.
The subway snag on Tuesday has cast doubt on some locals who say they are concerned about their safety on one of the world's biggest metro systems.
According to a street poll by China Daily, more than one third of 30 pedestrians interviewed say they don't feel safe on the subway while some said they may take the metro less frequently after Tuesday's two-train collision.
The wreck was caused by a power failure and left scores of commuters trapped underground and created delays for a million riders.
"I think the accident showed that there are loopholes in the management of the subway," said Yin Chunzhu, a supermarket shop assistant. "I will commute less by subway in the future."
"It is not the first time this year that the subway system has broken down," said Liu Ran, a subway commuter. "There must be something wrong with it and I will take it less if I can in the near future."
All foreigners who took the survey did not take the accident seriously.
"Buses could have accidents too and I think it's normal that there are some accidents," said French Justine Rochot. "I think the reason people see it as such a big problem is the media hype. The risk of riding the subway is much lower than that of other means of transportation."
"I don't think I will stop taking the subway just because of that accident," said her friend Oury Goldman. "The subway is time-saving, environmentally friendly and the actual chance of accident is pretty low."
Local transportation authorities said yesterday that a special panel has been launched to look into the cause of the accident, adding they were currently analyzing data recorded on the two colliding trains.
"We will also do some adjustments to the scheduling and the trains' dispatch system to avoid such accidents in the future," said Sun Jianming, head of Shanghai Municipal Transport and Port Authority, to a press conference yesterday.
Jia Peng, Beijing Subway spokesperson, also said yesterday that the company is waiting for results of the official investigation of the incident in Shanghai and will decide what precautions to take in the capital's subway management.
"We have good emergency plan and regular maintenance for the capital's subway. Different cities have different management measures," Jia said.
Questions:
1. How many trains were involved in the collision?
2. What fraction of the pedestrians interviewed said they don’t feel safe?
3. What measures are being adjusted to prevent such accidents in the future?
Answers:
1. Two trains.
2. More than one third of 30 pedestrians interviewed.
3. Adjustments to the scheduling and the trains' dispatch system.
(中国日报网英语点津 Helen 编辑)