Bullet trains halted in eastern Japan after train's cars decouple

A bullet train on the Tohoku Shinkansen Line made an emergency stop near a station in Tokyo on Thursday after two cars decoupled, the railway operator said, leading to a suspension of bullet train services in eastern Japan.

No injuries have been reported so far. Around 650 passengers were onboard at the time of the incident.

The Hayabusa-Komachi train service, which consists of two linked trains, was found decoupled between Ueno and Omiya stations at around 11:30 a.m. and halted near Nishinippori Station on a local commuter line for examination, according to East Japan Railway.

The two trains were supposed to separate later, with the Hayabusa to travel to Shinaomori Station on the Tohoku Shinkansen Line and the Komachi to Akita on the Akita Shinkansen Line.

Bullet train services on the Tohoku, Yamagata, Akita, Hokuriku, and Joetsu shinkansen lines were suspended on certain sections following the incident, the railway operator said.

Last September, linked Hayabusa and Komachi bullet trains uncoupled while in motion between Furukawa and Sendai stations in Miyagi Prefecture, northeastern Japan, and were forced to make an emergency stop. About 320 passengers were onboard, but none sustained injuries, according to JR East.

(Kyodo News)