Heavy jams on Tokyo expressways due to system failure in over 90 toll gates

TOKYO - Automatic lanes at more than 90 expressway toll gates in Tokyo and six other prefectures were shut down on April 6 due to a system outage.

Central Nippon Expressway said it opened the affected lanes to traffic, allowing tolls to be paid online later, as it investigates the cause and works to restore the system following a failure in the electronic toll collection control system early on April 6.

Five people, including two children, were taken to the hospital after a four-vehicle crash near the Toyokawa interchange on the Tomei Expressway in Aichi Prefecture, which was experiencing a traffic jam due to the system failure, police said. No fatalities were reported.

As of 2pm local time, the toll collection system was down on 16 of the 23 expressway sectors operated by the Nagoya-based company.

It was the first large-scale failure of the Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) system, since Japan Highway Public Corp was privatised in 2005, the company said.

Toll gates affected by the system disruption include those in the Fuji interchange on the Tomei Expressway in Shizuoka Prefecture, as well as the Chofu interchange on the Chuo Expressway in Tokyo. KYODO NEWS

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