Train chaos puts crisis management in question (3)

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Passengers are seen through a window of a train stranded in the Guangzhou Railway Station in Guangzhou, capital of south China's Guangdong Province, Aug. 18, 2013. Train service of Guangzhou Railway Station, a rail hub in south China, has been suspended after landslides blocked a railway artery linking Guangzhou and Beijing, Guangzhou Railway Corporation said on Sunday. More than 80,000 passengers would not be able to board their trains, according to the company's estimates. (Xinhua/Liu Dawei)

POOR INFORMATION

Snow and ice in south China caused enormous delays at Guangzhou Railway Station in 2008.

Since then, the Guangzhou government and the rail company have become more experienced in handling passenger overload, said a public management expert. "But their performance in informing the public is far from satisfactory."

"The train information is slow, unclear and poor channeled," said Cai Lihui, a professor of governance at Sun Yat-sen University.

"Train suspensions and delays began early in the morning, but the passengers had no idea which services were affected until nightfall," Cai said. "The rail company didn't make use of the Internet or mobile services."

Cai believes it is a matter of urgency for Chinese rail companies to build multi-channel information system, and to provide specific, clear train schedules.

Peng Peng, a senior researcher at Guangzhou Academy of Social Sciences, urged the government improve coordination in such emergencies.

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