A Tokyo-bound Tohoku Shinkansen bullet train had to make an emergency stop when the coupler connecting two cars became disconnected. The incident occurred between Furukawa and Sendai stations in Miyagi Prefecture at around 8:07 a.m. on Thursday.
The affected service, Hayabusa Komachi No. 6, is made up of two Shinkansen trains – a Hayabusa with 10 cars and a Komachi with seven cars – joined together by the coupler. As a result of the stoppage, Tohoku Shinkansen bullet train services between Tokyo and Shin-Aomori stations were suspended for approximately five hours in both directions before resuming at 1:12 p.m.
East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) reported that there were about 200 passengers on the Hayabusa and approximately 120 on the Komachi at the time of the incident. Fortunately, no injuries or illnesses were reported among passengers following the emergency stop. The trains remained on track without derailing, and their air conditioning systems continued to function normally.
The Komachi originated from Akita Station and arrived at Morioka Station where it connected with the Hayabusa before departing at 7:37 a.m. The disconnection of the coupler occurred approximately 30 minutes later.
This occurrence marks an unprecedented event as it is reportedly the first time that a coupler has become disconnected while a Shinkansen train was in motion. JR East will conduct inspections on all train cars involved and launch an investigation into what caused this disconnection incident to take place.
