Overview

• On August 1, the Hayabusa 61 service collided with a wild boar between Furukawa and Kurikoma-Kogen stations in Miyagi Prefecture, forcing trains to halt for 32 minutes.
• The boar strike delayed three up and down services by up to 35 minutes and affected about 1,900 passengers.
• No passengers or crew sustained injuries in the incident, and service resumed after a safety inspection.
• This follows a June 28 collision with a bear on the Sendai–Furukawa section that disrupted five services and impacted roughly 2,300 riders.
• JR East is examining how large mammals are breaching elevated viaducts and tunnels to access the high-speed tracks and prevent future disruptions.