JR staff talk to commuters at Tokyo Station on Sunday morning after the suspension of the Joetsu shinkansen line due to a power outage. Photo: KYODO

Passengers stuck in packed bullet trains due to power outage

TOKYO - Bullet train services between Tokyo and Niigata resumed Sunday, the second day of Japan's extended 10-day holiday period, after a power outage suspended operation of the Joetsu shinkansen line for three and a half hours.

The outage, which occurred at around 7:20 a.m., caused delays of up to four hours to bullet train services, affecting about 42,600 people during the Golden Week holiday, which is longer than usual this year to celebrate the imperial succession.

According to East Japan Railway Co, the power outage was caused by a glitch at a substation in Niigata Prefecture. The railway operator attempted to supply power to affected areas from a different substation but another glitch occurred during the transmission line switching procedure.

Train services resumed around 11 a.m.

"It's regrettable that I'll have less time to play with my grandchild, but waiting is all I can do," said 66-year-old Toshio Suzuki from Shizuoka, central Japan, who was on his way to visit Niigata.

Trains bound for the Sea of Japan coastal city were fully booked from Sunday morning, but no passengers were injured or fell ill as a result of the delays, according to the railway operator.

Source: https://japantoday.com/category/national/Passengers-stuck-in-packed-bullet-trains-due-to-power-outage