Bullet Train Model That Is Likely To Come To India Faces Technical Issues In Japan

A bullet train made an emergency stop near a station in Tokyo on Thursday after two cars became detached, resulting in a three-hour halt to bullet train services in eastern Japan. Several bullet train services were briefly suspended after cars on a Tohoku Shinkansen train became uncoupled. East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) is looking into the incident.

JR East stated that the northbound Hayabusa-Komachi No. 21 train, departing from Tokyo Station, made an emergency stop when the 10-car Hayabusa and seven-car Komachi trains separated while traveling between Ueno and Omiya stations at around 11:30 a.m. Thursday, according to Japan’s Kyodo News. As a result, services on the Tohoku, Joetsu, and Hokuriku Shinkansen lines were halted.

As reported by Asia News Network, the Hayabusa had over 400 passengers and the Komachi had 200 passengers, but no injuries have been reported. The heating systems on the trains were functioning normally. This incident raised safety concerns, as it was the second of its kind on the Tohoku Shinkansen Line in under six months.

The disconnection involved the Hayabusa and Komachi high-speed trains on the Shinkansen line connecting Tokyo to northeastern Japan, similar to the previous decoupling in September, according to Kyodo News.

JR East, which is the only operator that couples trains with different compositions for a shinkansen service, said Thursday it will suspend all coupled shinkansen operations until the cause is determined and countermeasures are in place.

The Hayabusa-Komachi train service, made up of two connected trains, became uncoupled while in motion between Ueno and Omiya stations at around 11:30 a.m., activating its automatic braking system. The train was traveling at about 60 kilometers per hour at the time and stopped near Nishinippori Station in Tokyo, with the two cars approximately 8 meters apart. The train was later taken to Omiya Station for inspection.

Bullet train services on other lines resumed around 2:35 p.m. A total of 111 trains were cancelled, and 166 trains were delayed by up to around five hours, affecting some 152,800 commuters of the Tohoku, Yamagata, Akita, Joetsu, and Hokuriku shinkansen lines, according to JR East.

India and Japan may witness the joint launch of the latest version of the bullet train, Shinkansen Alfa-X, also known as Shinkansen E10, in 2029-30. Japan has approved the plan and permitted India to operate two domestically manufactured high-speed trains on the track, which is expected to be completed in 2026-27, according to a Hindustan Times report.