Train chaos puts crisis management in question

Passengers get their tickets refunded at 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)

Train services broke down in south China over the weekend, leaving thousands of passengers stranded at rail stations, angry with the rail company's inability to provide prompt information.

All trains at Guangzhou Railway Station, a major hub in south China, were suspended on Saturday midnight, after landslides blocked the railway artery from the southern metropolis to capital Beijing, according to Guangzhou Railway Corporation (GRC).

GRC estimated that over 80,000 passengers were affected.

The Beijing-Guangzhou Railway's section in Guangdong Province reopened to traffic at 4:36 p.m. Sunday after 20 hours of repair efforts. However, more than 20 trains will still be suspended in the next three days, thanks to downpours and speed limit in various areas, according to the GRC.

Heavy downpours caused landslides and floods in north and east Guangdong Province.