On the evening of November 1st, a netizen posted a video on social media claiming that a train traveling from Heihe, Heilongjiang to Harbin derailed during its journey.
The video shows multiple carriages of the train tilting with the wheels off the rails, and passengers carrying their luggage moving along the tracks. A man in the video can be heard saying that it derailed.
According to an announcement from the Suihua Railway Service Section official Weibo account in the early hours of November 2nd, at around 9:34 pm on November 1st, the K7034 passenger train from Heihe to Harbin experienced a partial derailment at the rear of the train near Yongqing Station, with no casualties reported. As a result, passengers at stations such as Beian and Suihua along the route can apply for full ticket refunds.
On the morning of the 2nd, a passenger named Mr. Chen recounted the harrowing moments of the accident to Jiemu News. He mentioned feeling the train shake violently around 9 pm that evening, stating, “I had a ticket for the upper bunk bed. At that time, I was sitting below, eating instant noodles when things on the shelf suddenly fell down. Luckily, no one was hit, and the carriage instantly tilted to one side.”
Mr. Chen described how the train continued to shake for about 50 seconds before they learned of the derailment. Following the guidance of railway staff, they each carried their luggage and walked to a nearby small station from the site of the incident until around 2 am on the 2nd when they boarded a bus heading to Harbin.
Another passenger, Ms. Yang, mentioned that they walked along the tracks for over ten minutes, reaching the nearest train station from the accident site. She also saw many police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances in the vicinity.
As per Ms. Yang, she boarded a bus to Harbin around 2 am on the 2nd and arrived in Harbin around 8 am.
Many netizens commented on the incident, questioning why there have been repeated railway issues lately and expressing concerns about safety and infrastructure development. Some said, “Why are there always problems with the railways recently?” “Even on a straight track, derailments can occur.” “The development in my hometown is really lagging behind. While other regions in the province have high-speed trains, the Daxing’anling and Heihe regions still use old-fashioned trains. Landslides in summer and snowstorms in winter directly impact train operations.” “These trains have been in use for several generations. Can’t they prevent derailments?” “Fortunately, the speed wasn’t high. If it were a high-speed train, a derailment would be catastrophic!” “Safety is paramount. Hopefully, the local railway company will learn from this accident and ensure the safety of people’s lives and property.”