Japan Shinkansen lines suspended after train cars decouple on Tokyo tracks

TOKYO - The Tohoku Shinkansen line stopped to conduct a train inspection between Ueno and Omiya Stations on March 6 morning after the train cars decoupled and came to a halt, according to JR East.

As a result, the Tohoku, Joetsu and Hokuriku Shinkansen train lines are currently suspended in both directions.

The two trains that came off departed Tokyo Station at 11.20am, causing them to stop on tracks near Nishi-Nippori station.

There were about 650 passengers on the two trains, with no injuries reported, train operator JR East said.

A train coupler also came off in 2024, and JR East is investigating to see if the latest incident is related.

In September, a Shinkansen bullet train service was forced to make an emergency stop after its two linked trains uncoupled while it was running.

The train service was travelling between Furukawa and Sendai stations in Miyagi prefecture early in the morning on Sept 19 when the incident happened.

Train operator JR East then said it was the first time that two linked trains uncoupled while moving. It said it would inspect the trains and investigate the cause of the disconnection. THE JAPAN NEWS/ASIA NEWS NETWORK

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