Japan Bullet Train Cars Decouple, Second Incident in Less Than 6 Months
Tokyo, March 7 2025 – A Tohoku Shinkansen bullet train made an emergency stop near Nishinippori Station in Tokyo on Thursday after two linked cars decoupled while in motion, marking the second such incident on this line in less than six months. The disconnection, involving the Hayabusa and Komachi trains, disrupted services across eastern Japan and reignited safety concerns about Japan’s iconic high-speed rail system.
The incident occurred around 11:30 a.m. between Ueno and Omiya stations as the Hayabusa-Komachi No. 21 train, traveling at approximately 60 kilometers per hour, unexpectedly separated. The two sections—the 10-car Hayabusa bound for Shin-Aomori and the seven-car Komachi headed for Akita—came to a halt about 8 meters apart, triggering the train’s automatic braking system. No injuries were reported among the roughly 650 passengers on board.
East Japan Railway (JR East), the train’s operator, suspended services on the Tohoku, Yamagata, Akita, Joetsu, and Hokuriku Shinkansen lines for three hours, with operations resuming around 2:35 p.m. The disruption led to 111 train cancellations and 166 delays, affecting approximately 152,800 commuters. JR East has halted all coupled Shinkansen operations until the cause is identified and preventive measures are implemented.
This incident echoes a similar decoupling in September 2024, when Hayabusa and Komachi trains separated between Furukawa and Sendai stations at 315 kph. That event, the first of its kind while a Shinkansen was in motion, was linked to a coupling switch malfunction possibly caused by metal fragments. Thursday’s event has intensified scrutiny, with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism labeling it a “serious incident.” The Japan Transport Safety Board has deployed three investigators to probe the latest case.
“We take it very seriously that such an incident has occurred again,” said Hirohiko Ikeda, a senior JR East official, offering an apology for the inconvenience. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi emphasized that JR East and JR Hokkaido, which owns the Hayabusa cars, have been ordered to determine the cause and ensure it doesn’t recur.
Japan’s Shinkansen network, renowned for its precision and safety since its debut in 1964, faces growing pressure to address these rare but alarming incidents. As investigations proceed, the focus remains on restoring confidence in a system long celebrated as a global benchmark for high-speed rail.
