Shinkansen makes emergency stop after cars uncouple en route to Tokyo

SENDAI — A shinkansen made an emergency stop between northeastern Japan and Tokyo on Thursday after its two linked trains uncoupled, railway operator JR East said, but no injuries were reported among the some 320 people aboard.

The incident involving the Komachi and Hayabusa high-speed trains on the Tohoku Shinkansen Line marked the first time they have uncoupled while in motion, according to JR East. The trouble occurred at 8:10 a.m. between Furukawa and Sendai stations in Miyagi Prefecture.

A total of 72 trains on the Tohoku, Yamagata, and Akita Shinkansen lines were canceled and 35 delayed, affecting approximately 45,000 passengers, JR East said.

"It's not uncommon for Shinkansen trains to stop for safety checks, but I was surprised because this was the first time I had heard that they disconnected," a 59-year-old man who was on the train told Kyodo News in a phone interview.

There were no derailments of the cars.

JR East temporarily halted all bullet train services between Tokyo and Shin-Aomori in Aomori Prefecture for inspection. It resumed operations around 1:10 p.m. after completing inspections of both the Hayabusa and Komachi trains at the site and moving them to Sendai station.

The cause of the incident is being investigated but no external abnormalities have been found on the coupler, according to JR East.

The trains were connected at Morioka station and were heading to Tokyo at a speed of 315 kilometers per hour when they detached. The Komachi was around 300 meters away from the Hayabusa after the emergency stop was made.

JR East is the only operator in Japan that couples trains with different compositions for a shinkansen service, and the connecting and separating of the red Komachi and green Hayabusa trains at Morioka attracts many railway enthusiasts.

© KYODO