Weather Disrupts Shinkansen Train Service for 2nd Day (UPDATE 4)

The Yomiuri Shimbun

11:27 JST, August 16, 2023 (updated at 16:30 JST)

Tokaido and Sanyo Shinkansen trains between Tokyo and Hakata stations were disrupted for a second day on Wednesday, due to heavy rain in Shizuoka Prefecture. Tokyo, Shin-Osaka, and other Shinkansen stations were packed with passengers waiting for service to resume. All Shinkansen train services had resumed by around 2:10 p.m.

According to Central Japan Railway Co. and West Japan Railway Co., Shinkansen trains between Nagoya and Okayama stations had been suspended throughout the day on Tuesday due to the passage of Typhoon No. 7, also known as Typhoon Lan.

On Wednesday, normal operations resumed from the first departure, but operations between Mishima and Shizuoka stations, both in Shizuoka Prefecture, were suspended again around 8:30 a.m. due to heavy rainfall in the prefecture that exceeded the regulatory limit, and later the suspension was extended to all lines.

The suspension of Shinkansen service in both directions on Wednesday left stations along the lines crowded with passengers waiting for service to resume.

Heavy rains in Shizuoka Prefecture brought passenger movement to a standstill at Nagoya Station, where people lined up early in the morning to catch the first trains. Station staff were busy giving out information at the ticket gates.

“It can’t be helped due to the heavy rain,” said a 77-year-old passenger from Tsu who planned to board the Shinkansen to attend an event in Tokyo. The passenger was waiting for the train to resume service.