Almost nothing can stop Japan’s bullet train — except an unwelcome passenger of the reptile kind.
Japan’s legendary bullet trains, known for their precision and punctuality, faced an unusual delay when a 40cm snake was found slithering through a passenger carriage.
Not so much the synopsis for Snakes on a Plane, but ‘Snake on a Train’ instead.
On Tuesday evening, the station staff of the Osaka-bound train received an alert from a commuter regarding the snake and the train was immediately taken out of service. Another train was assigned to continue the route, but the delay impacted over 600 passengers: almost unheard of in efficient Japan.
Central Japan Railway Company, which operates the Shinkansen bullet trains, is conducting a review to determine how the snake managed to board the train. A spokesman shared that it was uncertain whether the slithering passenger was venomous, and it is still unclear how it ended up on the train.
“It’s difficult to imagine wild snakes somehow climbing on to the train at one of the stations. We have rules against bringing snakes into the shinkansen,” the spokesman said.
“But we don’t check passengers’ baggage,” he added.
Passengers are permitted to bring small animals on the shinkansen, like pet dogs, cats, birds, and other animals, but not snakes.
Japan is often recognised as one of the most punctual countries in the world, with its citizens’ diligence influencing the simplest daily occurrences, including the bullet train. The Shinkansen (bullet train) is renowned for its efficiency and speeds of up to 320km/h.
The country prides itself on precision and reliability, thus delays like this are a rare occurrence and often considered a public disturbance. Depending on the cause and the length of the delay, train officials are asked to make public apologies for the inconvenience caused to passengers.
Thankfully, no injuries were reported in this snake-related incident and normal service resumed shortly after the incident was resolved.
