Snake on Japan’s bullet train causes rare 17-minute delay

The train was scheduled to continue to Osaka.

Tokyo:

Even minor delays on Japan’s acclaimed bullet trains are rare, and even more unusual are snakes on board hampering speedy “shinkansen” services.

A 40-centimetre (nearly 16-inch) snake was lurking on a train between Nagoya and Tokyo on Tuesday night after a passenger reported it to security guards, causing a 17-minute delay.

A spokesperson for Donghai Passenger Railway told AFP that it was not clear whether the cold-blooded commuter was poisonous or how it got on the train. There were no injuries or panic among passengers.

Shinkansen passengers are allowed to bring puppies, cats and other animals, including pigeons, but not snakes.

“It is difficult to imagine that a wild snake could somehow crawl onto a train at a certain station. We have regulations prohibiting snakes from being brought onto the Shinkansen,” the spokesman told AFP.

“But we don’t check passengers’ luggage,” he said.

He said the train was originally scheduled to go to Osaka, but the company decided to use another train, causing a delay of about 17 minutes.

Uniformed security guards on bullet trains have stepped up patrols after a fatal stabbing on the Shinkansen in 2018 rocked Japan’s already highly secure country.

Extra security measures have been added to the 2021 Summer Olympics and last year’s G7 meeting.

According to Japan Railways, the Shinkansen network, which first opened in 1964, has never had an accident resulting in the death or injury of passengers.

Trains are operating at a speed of 285 kilometers (177 miles) per hour and are delayed by an average of 0.2 minutes.

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