The Shenzhen-Xiamen high-speed rail suffered a malfunction on March 31 that delayed the trip by approximately two hours, reports What’s On Xiamen, an incident that may come to hamper weekend revelers from making plans out of town this spring.

The D2319 lost electricity at approximately 4:39 pm and came to a halt in the middle of a tunnel in Zhangzhou, plunging the train into complete darkness. Luminated only by emergency lighting, commuters were further stifled by a lack of air conditioning.

At first, train attendants would only explain to sweating and panicked passengers that, “The train has suffered a malfunction, and the trip will be delayed by one hour”. Said Mr Zheng, a passenger in the number 2 compartment: “At the time when the train stopped, I smelled a heavy scent of burning tar, as though something had been scorched. After about ten minutes, the smell dissipated.“

The lights and AC would finally come back on at 6.11 pm, and the train would resume normal operations at approximately 6.30pm.

The official Weibo account of the Nanchang Railway blamed the malfunction upon a “floating material that came into contact with the electrical network and disrupted train operations”, and apologized to its commuters.

Readers may remember the recently opened Shenzhen-Xiamen high-speed rail as a trip touted to last only three hours long. However, Monday’s ill-fated train was scheduled to have a four hour journey, setting out from Xiamen at 4:02 pm and expected to arrive in Shenzhen at 7:58 pm.

On the positive side, it looks as though tickets prices now cost less than previously reported. According to Tieyou.com, an economy ticket for the Xiamen-Shenzhen high-speed train is priced at RMB 150.5, while a first-class ticket costs RMB 181. Now you can use your savings to purchase glow sticks and extra batteries.

Photo: 163.com