Rail operator apologises for Shanghai signal fault

Shanghai's subway operator has apologised for a signalling error that saw a train take a wrong turn during peak hours, less than a week after a similar fault killed 40 people on a high-speed line. No one was hurt but passengers were alarmed by the mistake in the incident which took place on Thursday evening, the same day that rail officials finally admitted a Chinese-built signalling system caused last week's fatal crash. The Shanghai Shentong Metro Company apologised on its website on Friday evening for the latest incident, which saw a train veer right when it should have taken a left turn. At least 40 people died in last Saturday's crash south of Shanghai, which was the worst ever to hit the high-speed train network, raising questions about whether safety had been overlooked in the rush to develop rail routes. Premier Wen Jiabao, who often travels to disaster scenes, waited until Thursday to visit the accident site, blaming the delay on illness, and for several days authorities refused to speak about the cause of the crash. China has almost doubled the compensation offered to relatives of those killed in the accident, state media said Friday, after fierce criticism of authorities' handling of the incident. Bereaved relatives will receive 915,000 yuan ($142,000) -- 415,000 yuan more than the original amount on offer, according to the official Xinhua news agency.