Passengers Report Snake Discovery, Japan Bullet Train Service Experience Postponement

Shinkansen illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/BradBeattie at English Wikipedia)

JAKARTA - The bullet train service in Japan was forced to temporarily delay its operations even though it was only a few minutes away, while authorities would conduct an investigation into the incident.

A snake about 40 centimeters long was found inside the Shinkansen bullet train upon arrival at the final station, Tokyo Station, on April 16 afternoon. The snake was spotted by a passenger on the Kodama Tokaido Shinkansen Line train departing from Nagoya in central Japan.

A member of the rail operator staff, Central Japan Railway Co (JR Central), caught the snake and handed it over to local authorities, according to the company, reported by Kyodo News April 25.

The snake was found in carriage No. 6 of the 16 train carriages. It is known that passengers are prohibited from bringing snakes into the train.

The type of snake is not yet known, while a review is underway to determine how the snake got onto the train, the rail company told CNN.

The operator decided not to use the train for the next trip to Osaka in western Japan, choosing another train instead which resulted in a 17-minute delay.

No passengers were injured as a result of this incident. However, more than 600 passengers were affected by the delay.

The bullet train, Shinkansen, is known for its efficiency and speed which reaches 320 kilometers per hour (200 mph). Commuters in Japan rely heavily on the accuracy of the departure time and arrival of this train service.

In 2017, a conductor at one of the services, Tsukuba Express, sparked an apology from the train network after he departed 20 seconds early.