Train tickets to Weihai railway station in east China's Shandong Province were still on sale after torrential rains had blocked the railway, stranding passengers on several trains in Rushan City.

The railway authority failed to notify passengers about the situation up to Wednesday, even though a landslide had blocked the line two days earlier, cutting links between Weihai and Rushan, according to the People's Daily.

The normal transit time for the K8261 service, a train connecting Jinan, capital of Shandong, with Weihai, is seven hours and 40 minutes.

But passengers who boarded the train on July 27 were told it would go only as far as Rushan. No more details were given.

The train was delayed for nearly five hours. While it was halted, passengers were not told where they were, the reason for the delay or when the service would restart.

After repeated inquiries, an attendant told passengers the railway was blocked and that shuttle buses would take them to Wendeng or Weihai, the two stops before Rushan.

There was little capacity in the shuttle buses, which resulted in a serious delay in transporting stranding passengers.

No food or water was provided while the train was at a standstill.

The report said some passengers demanded to disembark, but instead of explaining patiently, train attendants responded rudely.

The train arrived in Rushan five hours behind the schedule. Passengers swarmed into the square to catch the shuttle buses but many had to wait.

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