A subway train derailed near Yeongdeungpo Station in southwestern Seoul on Tuesday, delaying and partially disrupting services on line No. 1. Yonhap
A subway train derailed near Yeongdeungpo Station in southwestern Seoul on Tuesday, delaying and partially disrupting services on line No. 1.
No casualties have been reported. The accident took place around 6:28 a.m., halting traffic on both ways of the express lines for line No. 1, according to subway operators.
Regular trains on line No. 1 are in operation, but delays have been reported.
Around 100 passengers who were on the derailed train walked to the nearby Singil Station, also on line No. 1, to transfer to a regular train.
A new solar garden in the underground passageway of Jonggak Station, central Seoul, Friday. The backup LED lights are turned on in cloudy weather or at night. / Yonhap
Mini-gardens have become synonymous with urban regeneration projects in Seoul. Some, like the new solar garden at Jonggak Station on Seoul Metro Line 1, are popping up underground.
The solar garden ― small but claimed to be the world’s first solar-powered subterranean park ― opened in an underground passageway at Jonggak Station last Friday, placed right in front of the Jongno Book Store and a row of booths selling handcrafted goods made by young artists.
Mandarin trees and verdant bushes grow under natural sunlight, emitted from eight ceiling apertures connected to light-collecting dishes installed directly above at Jongno Tower Square on the ground. The ceiling is dotted with backup LED lights used at night or on cloudy days.
N.K.’s renovated subway This photo, released by North Korean propaganda website Naenara on Dec. 13, 2019, shows people using the renovated subway system in Pyongyang. (Yonhap)
In Japan the increasing use of English words in subway station names is drawing some criticism:
Following a recent naming trend that mixes Japanese and English words, Tokyo Metro Co. has announced that a new station set to open ahead of the 2020 Games will be called Toranomon Hills.
Toranomon Hills is the name of a skyscraper housing a business complex in the namesake district of Minato Ward. The station is under construction in an area between Kasumigaseki and Kamiyacho Stations on the Hibiya Line, seven minutes on foot from the supermodern, 52-story structure, which opened in June 2014.
The announcement Wednesday came a day after East Japan Railway Co. announced that a new station on the Yamanote Line between Shinagawa and Tamachi stations would be called Takanawa Gateway. JR East’s new station is scheduled to partially open in the spring of 2020, with full operations beginning in 2024. [Japan Times]
You can read the rest at the link, but it seems to me that using English for stations linked to the 2020 Olympics makes sense. Even nearby Korea uses English words for subway station names in Seoul such as “Seoul-forest”, “Ttukseom Park”, “Konkuk University”, etc.
However, some people have had fun with the English names for Tokyo subway stops by offering these recommended changes:
Does anyone have any good recommendations for changing subway station stop names in Seoul to English? I guess an obvious one would be to rename Itaewon Station to “Hooker Hill Station”.
A woman walks past a sign that states that smoking is not allowed within 10 meters from every subway entrance in Seoul from May 1, 2016. Violators will be fined up to 100,000 won (approximately US$88) from Sept. 1 after a four-month guidance period. (Yonhap)
