UPDATE (March 6, 2018 at 12pm CST): Hong Kong media is reporting that train service has been partially restored following repairs carried out yesterday afternoon and evening, though irregularities along the route continue to persist. Online ticketing platforms are still not offering fares on high-speed trains travelling to Shenzhen from Guangzhou South Station on many of the journeys originally scheduled for this afternoon, but tickets on slower inter-city trains from Guangzhou East Station remain a viable alternative. Service and ticketing is likely to regularize later this evening. Read our original report below.
The Department of Railways is reporting major service interruptions along the Guangzhou-Shenzhen high-speed rail route due to equipment failures, including a large number of cancellations and delays.
The trouble seems to have started this morning, according to the Beijing News, when passengers leaving Guangzhou began experiencing departure irregularities. One passenger told reporters that he was trapped for five hours on an unmoving train bound for Shenzhen North Station.
As of 3pm this afternoon, all train journeys coded G and D (high-speed and EMU) have been suspended until further notice, while ticketing for C trains (inter-city) seems to have not yet been taken offline.
In addition to Shenzhen and Guangzhou, service to points in between – such as Humen – also seem to be affected.
Needless to say, travelers were unimpressed with the delays, quickly taking to social media to vent their dissatisfaction.
"Oh crap, and I was just getting ready for a fun trip to Humen!" Guangzhou netizen feige21 lamented.
"What desperation, I waited hours only to have to refund my ticket in the end," wrote Shenzhen netizen Kuchajiao.
The rail authorities, for their part, wasted no time voicing their apologies, assuring passengers that they were “rushing to carry out repairs and reinstate regular service as soon as possible.”
Travelers affected by the cancellations will be able to receive a full refund for their tickets at any domestic train station ticket window.
[Cover image via chinatrain12306.com]
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