New Year's Rush Meltdown

[bill937ca]

It started with a major storm, then came the computer failure, then a jumper and then two doors forced open.  The pre-New Year's exit rush became a nightmare for JR.

 

[glow=red,2,300]December 29[/glow]

 

Rough weather hits bullet trains

 

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20081229a2.html

 

[glow=red,2,300]December 30[/glow]

 

Glitch in bullet train control system holds up 137,000 passengers 

 

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20081230p2a00m0na005000c.html

 

Bullet trains hit by glitch in main system

 

More than 250 shinkansen runs canceled or delayed, affecting 137,000 travelers during peak holiday period

 

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/mail/nn20081230a3.html

 

[glow=red,2,300]December 31 [/glow]

 

Jumper halts Tokaido Shinkansen

 

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20081231a6.html

 

I can't find the story, right now, but doors were forced open twice on Shinkansen trains on the 31st also, one near or at the Hiroshima JR Station.

[Guest ___]

With all things considered taking in to account the size of the network, and the passenger volume it's a surprise that a bad weekend is not more common than it is.

[Bernard]

137,000 travelers effected! What a difference between North America and Japan, how much the Japanese rely on their rail system.

[to2leo]

Yikes, it feels like a typical commute in Toronto's Go Transit. Hahaha.

 

Given how efficient the Japanese rail system is, I cannot imagine how other railway system in the world will perform if given these circumstances.

[stevenh]

They had the Shinkansen running on the Tokaido again after the jumper in 90 minutes.

That's ... scary and amazing. I know that any accident here in Australia would result in the line being shut down for at least 24hours.

I could only imagine what the train did to the lady; especially if it didn't intend on stopping at Odawara.

[alpineaustralia]

I have had the unfortunate experience of seeing one jumper from a building first hand and seeing the afermath of a jumper on an EMU train line at Mt Druitt Station years ago.

No pretty!

[SubwayHypes]

A friend of mine was killed by a Union Pacific freight train in Berkeley a few years back, apparently he had hopped on the back of a freight car trying to get a free ride, fell off, and died when his head hit the station platform, luckily his body was not maimed under the freight train.