Emergency-brake puller found

A PASSENGER who pulled the emergency brake and forced a Metro Line 1 train to stop for 13 minutes about two weeks ago has been tracked down and admonished by Metro police, officers said.

Metro police said the brake-puller was found at Gongkang Road Station on July 5. The man told police that after an earlier door malfunction brought the train to a halt at North Zhongshan Road Station, he felt hot and wanted a breath of fresh air. To cool himself, the man pulled the emergency brake in order to open the train doors.

With the emergency brake pulled, the driver had to restart the train by deactivating the brake with a special key. This procedure led to further delays on Line 1 trains during morning rush hour.

The man expressed regret to police and received a stern talking-to regarding his behavior.

According to Shanghai Shentong Metro Groups, the door of the train malfunctioned as the train was entering the station platform at 8:22am on June 27. The driver took four minutes to locate and fix this initial problem.

As the driver inspected the doors, a passenger in the third carriage pulled the emergency brake, which prevented the train from restarting.

Starting July 1, new regulations on the operation and management of urban rail transit issued by the Ministry of Transport have taken effect across China. These rules ban passengers from stopping trains, entering rail areas and using button and switching devices without permission.

Those who violate these rules can be fined up to 5,000 yuan (US$756).