Latest news with #SatoshiTagawa
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Yahoo
Japan's Famously Punctual Bullet Train Halted by Reptile Intruder
One of Japan's busiest bullet train lines screeched to a halt Wednesday after a snake tangled itself in a power line, triggering an outage that froze the Tokaido Shinkansen between Tokyo and Osaka at peak travel time. The trains stopped around 5:25 p.m. local time and didn't resume until 7:00 p.m., stranding thousands during Japan's busiest holiday stretch. Golden Week, which consists of four national holidays in seven days, and will see trains, airports and holiday hotspots hit their peak. And the World Expo, which is being hosted in Osaka this year, bringing millions of foreign and domestic visitors to the city it concludes in October. The snake entanglement occurred between Gifu-Hashima and Maibara stations, which suspended Tokyo-bound trains between Shin-Osaka and Nagoya, and the Osaka-bound trains between Shin-Osaka and Tokyo, according to Kyodo News. While authorities worked to get power restored, passengers formed long queues and gathered around flustered station staff. One frequent shinkansen traveler, who was returning to Tokyo, said it was the first time he had experienced this. "I use the Shinkansen several times a month, but this is the first time I have experienced suspensions due to a power outage," said Satoshi Tagawa, 46. Other passengers like Kazutoshi Tachi, 26 were less forgiving and expressed their frustration, 'I'm fed up with the troubles. I want them to run on time." Oddly enough, this isn't the first time a snake has brought the shinkansen service to a halt. Last April, CBS News reported authorities had to remove a 16 in (40.6cm) snake from the train between Nagoya and Tokyo, which caused a more minor delay of 17-minutes. It seems Japan has a new, scaly threat to punctuality.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Yahoo
Snake halts Japan's bullet trains after getting tangled in power lines
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.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Yahoo
Snake halts Japanese bullet trains after wrapping around power line
One of Japan's busiest bullet train lines came to a halt after a snake tangled itself in a power line, causing a power outage. Tokaido Shinkansen trains running between Tokyo and Osaka were suspended from around 17:25 local time on Wednesday. Services resumed at around 19:00 local time, operator Central Japan Railway Company said, according to local media. Japan is currently in one of its busiest holiday seasons, Golden Week, which consists of four national holidays in seven days, and will see trains, airports and holiday hotspots hit their peak. Osaka is also hosting the World Expo this year, which will see millions of foreign and domestic visitors flock to the city until it ends in October. The snake entanglement occurred between Gifu-Hashima and Maibara stations, which suspended Tokyo-bound trains between Shin-Osaka and Nagoya, and the Osaka-bound trains between Shin-Osaka and Tokyo, according to Japanese news agency Kyodo News. While authorities worked to get power restored, passengers reportedly gathered around staff at one station while large queues formed at ticket machines. One frequent shinkansen traveller, who was returning to Tokyo, said it was the first time he had experienced this. "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, 46, told Kyodo News. But 26-year-old Kazutoshi Tachi, said he was "fed up with the troubles" to services. "I want them to run on time," he added. This is not the first time a snake has brought the shinkansen service to a halt. In April 2024, there was a 17-minute hold-up while authorities removed a 16 inch (40.6cm) snake from the train between Nagoya and Tokyo, according to CBS News, BBC News's US partner. Snake on a train shocks passengers Corn snake found by commuter near train station
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Yahoo
Snake halts Japanese bullet trains after wrapping around power line
One of Japan's busiest bullet train lines came to a halt after a snake tangled itself in a power line, causing a power outage. Tokaido Shinkansen trains running between Tokyo and Osaka were suspended from around 17:25 local time on Wednesday. Services resumed at around 19:00 local time, operator Central Japan Railway Company said, according to local media. Japan is currently in one of its busiest holiday seasons, Golden Week, which consists of four national holidays in seven days, and will see trains, airports and holiday hotspots hit their peak. Osaka is also hosting the World Expo this year, which will see millions of foreign and domestic visitors flock to the city until it ends in October. The snake entanglement occurred between Gifu-Hashima and Maibara stations, which suspended Tokyo-bound trains between Shin-Osaka and Nagoya, and the Osaka-bound trains between Shin-Osaka and Tokyo, according to Japanese news agency Kyodo News. While authorities worked to get power restored, passengers reportedly gathered around staff at one station while large queues formed at ticket machines. One frequent shinkansen traveller, who was returning to Tokyo, said it was the first time he had experienced this. "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, 46, told Kyodo News. But 26-year-old Kazutoshi Tachi, said he was "fed up with the troubles" to services. "I want them to run on time," he added. This is not the first time a snake has brought the shinkansen service to a halt. In April 2024, there was a 17-minute hold-up while authorities removed a 16 inch (40.6cm) snake from the train between Nagoya and Tokyo, according to CBS News, BBC News's US partner. Snake on a train shocks passengers Corn snake found by commuter near train station
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Yahoo
Snake halts Japan's bullet trains after getting tangled in power lines
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.
