An equipment error brought the high speed rail service from Wuhan to Guangzhou to a standstill yesterday afternoon, said the Guangzhou Daily.

More than 10,000 passengers were stranded and the train was delayed for an hour, according to the report.

The accident occurred around 4:00pm on the railway at the Shaoguan section in Guangdong Province, prompting local railway authorities to enact the emergency response plan, sending technicians to the scene and delivering food and drinks to stranded passengers.

The railway resumed operation when the fault is cleared by 5:45pm.

The 1,068-km Wuhan-Guangzhou railway, China's first long-distance high-speed rail, was put into operation last December.