The accident came just two months after a deadly crash involving two trains on China’s high-speed rail network for which officials blamed bad weather and a signal failure. The July 23 crash in the eastern city of Wenzhou killed 40 people and injured nearly 200.

Image Credit... The New York Times

The Wenzhou accident unleashed harsh public criticism of the nation’s high-speed rail program amid concern that the government had not ensured its safety. Since then, the government has slowed the speed of trains and announced a thorough review of its safety program.

As part of its rapid urbanization efforts, China has spent billions of dollars over the last decade on building huge subway systems and a national high-speed rail network. The pace of construction is unprecedented, with even second-tier but fast-growing cities like Wuhan racing to build subway systems to ease congestion.

Up to now, China’s transportation systems have proved to be a boon to its economy, with few fatalities. But there have been increasing reports over the last few years of substandard roads and bridges and worries that subway and high-speed rail construction may be moving too quickly and could pose safety problems.

The accident on Tuesday in Shanghai occurred around 2:50 p.m. on Metro Line 10, which stretches from downtown Shanghai to Hongqiao, one of the city’s airports. The line also travels north, south, east and west in the vast city of 23 million. The accident took place near Yuyuan Gardens, a favorite Shanghai tourist spot.