Mainland braces for Podul's 2nd landfall

As Typhoon Podul is poised to make its second landfall along the coastal areas between Guangdong and Fujian provinces, transportation — particularly train services in the two provinces — was significantly affected on Wednesday.

Podul, the 11th typhoon of the year and classified as a severe storm, made its initial landfall along the coast of Taitung, Taiwan, at around 1 pm on Wednesday, with maximum wind speeds near the center reaching 151.2 kilometers per hour, according to the National Meteorological Center.

After entering the Taiwan Strait on Wednesday afternoon, the typhoon was expected to make a second landfall along the coast between Xiamen in Fujian and Shantou in Guangdong, between Wednesday evening and early Thursday morning, the NMC reported.

In response to the severe weather, China Railway Guangzhou Group has assessed risks and adjusted transportation schedules on several routes. As of Wednesday, high-speed train services were suspended on routes connecting Zhejiang and Guangdong provinces, with train services on the affected railway lines expected to resume after Thursday, depending on weather conditions. Additionally, some trains on the Beijing-Guangzhou and Beijing-Kowloon (Hong Kong) railway lines were suspended on Wednesday.

In Shantou, the Nan'ao Bridge, a major cross-sea project, was closed to traffic at 8 pm on Wednesday for safety reasons. Strong winds were detected at the bridge's automatic weather observation station on Wednesday morning, with their intensity increasing throughout the day, according to local meteorological authorities.

In Chaozhou, which neighbors Shantou, all primary and secondary schools, kindergartens, day care centers and training institutions suspended classes on Wednesday.

On the maritime front, all fishing boats in areas east of Shanwei, a seaside city in Guangdong, were required to return to port by 8 pm on Tuesday, and recreational boats were prohibited from going out to sea, according to the provincial headquarters for flood, drought and wind control.