Disruptions to Railway Operations: Delays in Resuming Services Could Cause Chaotic Situations

Editorial

16:20 JST, February 6, 2026

There have been a series of train service suspensions due to power supply and other problems. If railway operators take a long time to resume services, it can result in major disruptions. They should establish systems to prevent problems and resume services as soon as possible.

On Jan. 16, East Japan Railway Co.’s Tamachi Station in Minato Ward, Tokyo, was hit by a power outage during improvement work. The outage resulted in the Yamanote and Keihin-Tohoku lines being halted for up to eight hours and 747 services being canceled, including some for other lines. The disruption hit the morning rush hour, affecting 670,000 passengers.

Some passengers were forced to remain in crowded cars for long periods of time before disembarking onto the tracks to walk to the nearest stations. Some of them reported that they were feeling unwell.

The disruption took place the day before the start of the annual Common Test for University Admissions, which was taken by many examinees. Had the incident occurred one day later, it could have caused chaos.

JR East also saw overhead wires broken on the Joban Line on Jan. 30 and suspended services for some of its sections for seven hours. On Monday, smoke was spotted at a Keiyo Line station, prompting passengers to evacuate.

JR East must investigate the causes of this series of problems and use the findings to prevent a recurrence. It is only natural that Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Minister Yasushi Kaneko complained, saying that JR East “should be aware of its role as a public transportation provider and ensure safe and stable operations.”

JR East has announced that it will raise fares by an average of 7.1% in March, citing soaring energy prices as one reason. If the company repeatedly suspends services, it will be difficult for it to gain the understanding of passengers.

Services are also frequently suspended or delayed on other private railways and subways.

Is the equipment aging? Are sufficient maintenance checks conducted? Are there enough workers to carry them out? Are the expertise and skills for railway operations being passed down from veterans to younger workers? Each railway company should review these matters itself.

To prevent services from being suspended or delayed due to accidents involving passengers, it would probably be effective to install more platform doors at stations so that passengers will not fall onto the tracks.

Even so, it is difficult to entirely prevent disruptions. What matters is how quickly operators can respond when problems occur.

For starters, to reduce negative impacts on passengers, it is crucial for railway operators to provide them with detailed and frequent updates on when services are predicted to resume and what alternative transportation services are available. It is indispensable for the companies to establish steps in advance on how to resume services, share them across each operator and conduct drills over and over.

Today, more railway lines share their tracks. While such operations have enhanced convenience for passengers, one single accident or problem can now affect multiple lines. How can impacts be minimized? It is hoped that railway companies will study effective methods, such as how to resume operations only on unaffected sections.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Feb. 6, 2026)