Bullet train operations between Nagoya and Hamamatsu were canceled throughout Monday due to an overnight collision of two railway maintenance vehicles, the operator said, leading to the cancellation of 328 train runs and affecting approximately 250,000 people.
The services between the two cities in Aichi and Shizuoka prefectures in central Japan on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line, which connects Tokyo and Osaka, were halted because of restoration work, Central Japan Railway Co. said.
Operations were resumed between Tokyo and Hamamatsu, and Nagoya and Shin-Osaka, with about two trains per hour on each of the lines.
The maintenance vehicle accident, which caused a derailment, occurred around 3:40 a.m. between Toyohashi and Mikawa-Anjo stations in Aichi Prefecture, injuring two maintenance workers, though their injuries are not life-threatening.
The accident, which coincided with the start of the summer vacation season in Japan, also delayed services on the Sanyo Shinkansen Line connecting Shin-Osaka and Hakata in Fukuoka Prefecture.
In response to the incident, All Nippon Airways Co. and Japan Airlines Co. provided extra round-trip flights between Tokyo's Haneda airport and Osaka's Itami airport for Monday afternoon, with seats becoming fully booked soon after reservations began, the airlines said.
After the incident, major train stations were crowded with stranded passengers seeking to change their tickets and making inquiries to station staff.
The operator called on travelers to avoid affected stations until services fully resume and to consider changing their travel plans, including rescheduling them for a later date.
At Tokyo Station, a 72-year-old woman from the capital's Koto Ward said she was planning to visit her ailing mother in Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture, in western Japan.
"I've been 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."
Photo taken in Gamagori, Aichi Prefecture, on July 22, 2024, shows a maintenance train that derailed on the Tokaido Shinkansen tracks between Toyohashi and Mikawa-Anjo stations. (Kyodo)
Takahiro Sasaki, a 59-year-old man from Tokyo's Suginami Ward, was stranded at Nagoya Station after failing to board a bullet train to return home with his family following a trip to Aichi Prefecture.
"I wonder when trains will resume services, as I have to work tomorrow," he said. "We encountered a terrible mishap at the end of our trip."
At Nagoya Station, entry to platforms was restricted, while many people lined up for ticket refunds.
The Tokaido Shinkansen Line connects Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka, which constitute Japan's three largest metropolitan areas.
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