Shinkansen services between Tokyo and Osaka were partially suspended on Monday after an accident involving two maintenance vehicles in the Chubu region, affecting many passengers, the bullet train operator said.
JR Central announced that the Tokaido Shinkansen may be suspended for the entire day on Monday as restoration work is expected to continue until the evening.
Trains were suspended between Nagoya and Hamamatsu, but as of 10 a.m. partial services had resumed between Tokyo and Hamamatsu, and between Nagoya and Shin-Osaka.
Crowds gather outside the ticket gates at JR Shin-Yokohama station near Tokyo after the derailment of two maintenance cars halted Shinkansen service between Tokyo and Nagoya. (Photo provided by passengers) (Kyodo News)
A train derailed between Toyohashi City and Anjo City in Mikawa Prefecture at around 3:40 a.m., causing a maintenance worker to suffer a forehead injury.
The Tokaido Shinkansen connects the cities of Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, Kyoto and Osaka, which make up Japan’s three largest metropolitan areas.
As a result of the accident, the Sanyo Shinkansen, which connects Shin-Osaka and Hakata in Fukuoka Prefecture, also experienced delays.
A photo taken in Gamagori, Aichi Prefecture, on July 22, 2024, shows a maintenance train that derailed between Toyohashi and Mikawa-Anjo stations on the Tokaido Shinkansen line. (Kyodo)
The scene where two maintenance train cars collided and derailed on the Tokaido Shinkansen line between Toyohashi and Mikawa Anjo was photographed from a Kyodo News helicopter in Gamagori, Aichi Prefecture, on the morning of the 22nd. (Kyodo News)
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