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3w ago

Snake Disrupts Japan’s Busiest Bullet Train Line, Halting Service for 90 Minutes

A metre-long snake tangled in overhead power lines caused a major outage on the Tokaido Shinkansen, temporarily stranding passengers during peak travel for Golden Week.

Japan's busiest bullet train route was brought to a halt after a three-foot snake wrapped itself around an electricity pole on April 30, 2025.
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Overview

  • The incident occurred on April 30, 2025, at 5:25 pm between Gifu-Hashima and Maibara stations, disrupting power and halting service on the Tokaido Shinkansen for about 90 minutes.
  • JR Central confirmed that onboard power remained functional, ensuring lights and air conditioning for stranded passengers during the delay.
  • The Tokaido Shinkansen, which connects Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka, resumed normal operations by 7 pm the same evening, with no injuries reported.
  • This is the third recorded instance of snake-related disruptions on Japan’s Shinkansen network, following incidents in 2009 and April 2024.
  • The outage coincided with the start of Golden Week, a peak travel period, highlighting the vulnerability of critical infrastructure on Japan’s busiest rail line, which serves over 430,000 passengers daily.