Japan’s busiest bullet train service brought to standstill… by a snake

by Mick the Ram

Japan’s flagship bullet train service is envied across the world for its speed and efficiency, but sometimes events occur that cannot be attributed to human error and are completely out of anyone’s control.

Such a situation happened on the vital line connecting Osaka and the capital Tokyo when a three metre long snake managed to cause a power outage when it coiled itself around an overhead power line, shorting the electricity supply – electrocuting itself in the process – and bringing the operation to an abrupt halt.

Golden Week takes a hit

The incident materialised between the stations of Maibara and Gifu-Hashima after the snake appeared to have climbed an electricity pole for whatever reason.

Nearly 10,000 passengers are thought to have been affected in what was the worst possible period for the network as the country entered what is commonly referred to as “Golden Week” the peak holiday travel season.

As many as 86 different trains suffered as a consequence of the reptile’s antics according to the line operator JR Central, who stated that on any one particular day more than 430,000 passengers ride the Tokaido Shinkansen, recognised as the key Japanese railway artery.

Remarkable punctuality

The bullet trains are known not only for smoothly reaching speeds of 180 mph, but also for their incredible punctuality, with the average delay on that line throughout 2024 being just a remarkable 1.06 minutes per service, across the 372 trains it operated each day.

It takes less than two and a half hours to connect Osaka to Tokyo, which is crucial particularly during such a hectic week with literally millions of people on the move, setting off on family vacations.

Expo 2025 adds to numbers

Additionally, Osaka is also hosting the World Expo this year, which will see millions of foreign and domestic visitors flock to the city after opening in mid-April and is therefore attracting even more passengers than usual along the busy line, until it closes in October.

Exemplary safety record 

An astonishing 7 billion people have ridden the Tokaido Shinkansen since it opened as Japan’s first high-speed rail line back in 1964, just ahead of the Tokyo Olympics.

To its absolute credit it has a 100% perfect safety record, with not a single injury or accident recorded, making this a major news story and a real shock to the public.

Rare but not unheard of

Snakes making their way onto Shinkansen lines is rare, though this is not the first time. Last year, a 16-inch snake crawled its way into a passenger carriage on a train heading in the opposite direction, with nobody having any idea quite how it found its way in.

Passengers panicked and as staff were unable to find the creature, so the carriage had to be replaced, resulting in a highly unusual 17-minute delay.