Japan’s high-speed bullet train services were halted on its busiest line connecting Tokyo and Osaka after a snake became tangled in the overhead wires, causing a power outage.
The incident occurred between Gifu-Hashima and Maibara station around 5.25pm on Wednesday, 30 April, halting trains to the Japanese capital and the city of Osaka for around an hour and a half, Kyodo News said.
The service disruption occurred on the Tokaido Shinkansen line, which also stops at Kyoto and Nagoya, and is considered the most popular and busiest route.
The snake is thought to have become entangled in a power line, leading to the high-speed service to halt operations on the usually punctual service.
Shinkansen trains operate on a network of high-speed train lines, connecting most of Japan’s major cities and can run at speeds of up to 285 kilometres per hour.
Tokaido Shinkansen trains usually depart every few minutes for most stations along the route. With the service out of operation for so long, passengers started to form crowds around staff at Nagoya Station seeking explanations for why the trains were delayed, while long queues formed at ticket machines.
Each day, 372 Shinkansen train services usually operate on this line, with around 432,000 passengers using the service.
JR Central says that its trains are usually punctual, with an average delay time of 1.6 minutes.
Services eventually resumed around 7pm after it was deemed safe to do so, JR Central, a railway operator in Japan, told the publication.
“I use the Shinkansen several times a month, but this is the first time I have experienced suspensions due to a power outage,” Satoshi Tagawa, who was due to return to Tokyo, told Kyodo News.
“I am relieved,” added 26-year-old Kazutoshi Tachi, after learning that trains were running again. “But I am fed up with the troubles [with Shinkansen services]. I want them to run on time.”
This is not the first time snakes have jeopardised the busy schedule of the Shinkansen services in Japan.
In April 2024, a small snake found its way into a passenger’s carriage and was slithering along the floor.
The 40-centimetre snake had been spotted in the carriage of a train which was due to depart for Osaka, but was instead put out of service as a precaution.
While the small reptile only caused a 17-minute delay, over 600 passengers were affected by the train being put out of action.
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