China Train Crash Was Avoidable: Safety Agency

A high-speed train crash that killed 40 people in China last month “could have been avoided,” according to the agency leading the official investigation.

The crash exposed faults in the design of the signaling system that was blamed for the accident as well as shortcomings in emergency and safety-management systems, Huang Yi, a spokesman for the State Administration of Work Safety, said in an interview yesterday with state-run Xinhua News Agency. He didn’t elaborate on the flaws identified.

“The accident should not have happened,” Huang said. “It could have been avoided and prevented.”

The agency, due to complete an investigation into the crash next month, will find the people and businesses responsible, Huang said. China has also recalled trains, pared services and slowed high-speed locomotives to boost safety following the accident.

“The accident and the measures taken in the aftermath are a crushing blow to China’s rail sector,” said James Chung, an analyst with Masterlink Securities in Shanghai. “But, of course, the most important thing for China is to avoid such tragedy happening again.”

Separately, the head of the Kunming Railway Bureau, Wen Qingliang, was removed, Xinhua said on its website, citing Ta Kung Pao, a Hong Kong-based newspaper. Calls to four different numbers at the rail ministry went unanswered.
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