New measures to deal with city train accidents and emergencies, including search and rescue operations and medical assistance, were unveiled by the General Office of the State Council on May 14.

An accident or emergency will be immediately categorized, in terms of severity, into one of four levels as will the response. The most serious category is 1, with 4 the least serious. The responsibility to handle a category 1 or 2 incident will fall with the provincial authorities. For a category 3 or 4 incident, the city government will be responsible for the response.

The plan requires a response to not only deal with injuries but also traffic disruption and damage to property caused by a rail accident.

The plan will help organizations responsible for rail transit in cities streamline their response once an accident or emergency occurs.

Local governments and departments will organize search and rescue work, transfer passengers from the site, offer medical assistance and repair damaged facilities.

According to the plan, an investigation team should be established after an emergency, to discover the cause, the extent of casualties as well as determine any financial loss.