Travel

Accident Shuts Down Tokaido Shinkansen

NAGOYA, Jul 22 (News On Japan) - Operations on the Tokaido Shinkansen between Nagoya and Hamamatsu stations remain suspended following a derailment involving a maintenance vehicle.

JR Central explained in a press conference that the accident was caused by a failure in the braking system, preventing the vehicle from slowing down.

According to JR Central, the incident occurred at around 3:30 a.m. on July 22nd, when two maintenance vehicles collided between Toyohashi and Mikawa-Anjo stations in Aichi Prefecture, causing both to derail.

This incident has halted both inbound and outbound services on the Tokaido Shinkansen between Hamamatsu and Nagoya stations. JR Central announced at a press conference held after 8 p.m. that operations are not expected to resume for the rest of the day. "We deeply apologize for the significant inconvenience caused," the company stated.

JR Central clarified that while brake operations were performed, the vehicle failed to decelerate for unknown reasons. They confirmed that there was no human error, such as driver drowsiness.

The accident injured two drivers, one of whom was hospitalized with a broken neck.

Initially, restoration work was expected to be completed by around 7 p.m. However, the process was delayed due to complications in removing the damaged maintenance vehicle and an oil spill caused by the collision. The restoration work is now expected to continue until around 9 p.m.

Additionally, all maintenance vehicles will undergo an emergency inspection on the night of the 22nd. Depending on the progress of the restoration, temporary operations may be considered later on July 22nd.

JR Central aims to proceed with restoration efforts to ensure that the planned operations for the 23rd can proceed as scheduled.

Source: ANN

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