‘Snake On A Train’ Causes Japan’s Bullet Train To Be Delayed By 17 Min, A Rare Occurrence

Japan’s bullet trains are lauded for their impeccable commitment to punctuality. The average delay is just 0.2 minutes. In a rarity, a bullet train travelling from Nagoya to Osaka faced a whopping 17-minute delay on Tuesday after passengers and the crew witnessed an unlikely commuter — a snake. Here’s more to it.

Japan Bullet Train Delayed By 17 Minutes After Passengers Spot Snake

According to a report by The Japan News, a passenger travelling on Nagoya-Osaka bullet train alerted the staff at  JR Tokyo Station about a snake on the train. The JR staff thoroughly searched the train only to discover a snake measuring up to 40 centimetres (16 inches). This snake was caught in one of the cars. Originally scheduled to head to Shin-Osaka on its return to Tokyo, the train was delayed by a whopping 17 minutes on account of the snake.

JR used another train to ferry passengers from the specified destination. It remains unclear whether the snake was venomous and how it landed on the train in the first place. Fortunately, no passengers were injured. And there wasn’t any panic created among the passengers.

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Passengers Are Not Permitted To Carry Reptiles As Pets Onboard

A spokesperson for Central Japan Railway Company stated to AFP that it was difficult to imagine wild snakes climbing onto trains at one of the stations. Moreover, the bullet train also has strict rules on bringing snakes. Shinkansen customers can only bring pigeons, dogs, cats and other small animals but definitely not snakes.

But the spokesperson also admitted that they don’t check passengers’ baggage. A delay of 17 minutes is a rare occurrence and even a severe inconvenience for passengers. The company sent another train for the trip which ended up causing the delay. As per Japan Railways, ever since its launch in 1964, the shinkasen network hasn’t faced any accidents which have caused deaths or injuries.

Also Read: 5 Snake Parks In India To Visit For A Sssssensational Experience 

These Japanese trains travel at 285 kilometres per hour and have an average delay of 0.2 minutes. Have you ever faced any delays while travelling on trains in Japan?

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