South Korean conductor's 4-minute toilet break delays 125 trains

A train counter's four-minute restroom break in South Korea's Seoul delayed over 125 trains earlier this week during the morning rush.

In Short

• A train conductor's break delayed 125 trains in Seoul
• The incident occurred on Line 2 around 8am Monday
• Some trains were delayed over 20 minutes

A train counter’s four-minute break to the restroom in Seoul, the capital city of South Korea, earlier this week caused a ripple effect – delaying as many as 125 trains.

The incident took place on Monday around 8am local time on Seoul’s Line 2 when the operator made an unscheduled stop at a station to take a break, the Korea Herald reported.

With the restroom located on another floor, the entire process took four minutes and sixteen seconds – enough to disrupt the tightly packed train schedule.

According to Seoul Metro, the halted train triggered a cascade of delays for 125 others operating on the circular line, with some running over 20 minutes behind schedule.

An engineer monitored the train during the conductor’s absence, but the delays were inevitable given the sheer density of the city’s public transport system.

“The 125 trains following it had to be rescheduled and many of them were delayed 20 minutes from their originally scheduled arrival times,” the Seoul Metro said, as reported by Korea Herald.

While conductors on such routes are accustomed to operating without breaks for two to three hours, emergencies occasionally compel them to seek nearby facilities.

Portable toilets are provided in some cases, but the conductor’s decision to use the station’s facilities proved costly for the day’s schedule.

Seoul Metro assured commuters that while delays were unavoidable most passengers reached their destinations with minimal inconvenience.