Train resumes after chemical leak
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Xinhua, September 5, 2011
A section of the Lianyungang-Lanzhou railway in northwest Gansu province reopened to traffic midnight Sunday after power supply resumed, local railway authority said.
Traffic on the Longxi-Yuanyang town section of the railway was halted due to power blackout triggered by chemical leak from an overturned truck running on a parallel road Sunday afternoon.
Repair work began immediately after the accident and repair of damaged power supply facilities was completed at zero hour Monday, according to Lanzhou railway authorities.
The railway traffic was halted for seven hours and 25 minutes, affecting a total of 18 trains.
Three trains were halted at 16:40 on Sunday when the truck loaded with silicon tetrachloride overturned. Chemical leak mixed with rain eroded the railway's contact net, leading to power blackout, the Ministry of Railways said in a statement on its website.
The truck was 70 meters away from the rail track, and three kilometers away from the three affected trains, the ministry said.
Railways Minister Sheng Guangzu ordered efforts to protect passengers' safety and repair power facilities. Windows of the trains were closed after the accident and the trains were pulled back to nearby stations, according to the statement.
Passengers' health was not affected, the ministry said.
Three trains were running between Lanzhou and Hangzhou, Urumqi and Shanghai, and Hangzhou and Urumqi, respectively.
