High-speed train service Tokyo-Osaka partially suspended

TOKYO (Kyodo) — Bullet train service between Tokyo and Osaka was partially suspended Monday due to an accident in which two railway maintenance vehicles collided overnight, the operator said, causing disruption for many passengers and crowding at stations.

Operations on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line may be suspended throughout Monday as renovation work is expected to continue into the evening, Central Japan Railway Co. said.

Train services have been suspended between Nagoya and Hamamatsu, while services have resumed between Tokyo and Hamamatsu and Nagoya and Shin-Osaka with approximately two trains per hour on both lines, the operator said.

In response to the incident, All Nippon Airways Co. offered an additional round-trip flight between Haneda Airport in Tokyo and Itami Airport in Osaka for Monday afternoon. However, the airline said the seats were already fully booked shortly after reservations began.

The major train stations were crowded with stranded passengers who wanted to exchange their tickets and asked station staff for assistance, as the incident occurred shortly before the start of the summer holidays in Japan.

The operator urged travellers to avoid the affected stations until operations resume and to consider changing their travel plans, including rebooking for a later date.

At Tokyo Station, a 72-year-old woman from the capital’s Koto ward said she planned to visit her sick mother in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture in western Japan.

“I was looking forward to seeing her for the first time in six months. I can’t wait to get there and see her happy face. I hope to visit her as soon as possible, even if it’s tomorrow.”

Takahiro Sasaki, a 59-year-old man from Tokyo’s Suginami ward, was stranded at Nagoya Station while trying to board a bullet train to return home with his family after a trip to Aichi Prefecture.

“I wonder when the trains will start running again because I have to work tomorrow,” he said. “At the end of our trip we had a terrible accident.”

At Nagoya Station, access to the platforms was restricted while more than 100 people lined up to return their tickets.

The accident involving the maintenance vehicle that led to the derailment occurred at around 3:40 a.m. between Toyohashi and Mikawa-Anjo stations in Aichi Prefecture. Two maintenance workers were injured, but their injuries are not life-threatening.

The Tokaido Shinkansen Line connects the cities of Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka, which form the three largest metropolitan areas in Japan.

Operations on the Sanyo Shinkansen line between Shin-Osaka and Hakata in Fukuoka Prefecture were also delayed due to the accident.