Shinkansen bullet train services in western Japan were suspended for more than five hours from the first train of the day due to a power outage Thursday morning, affecting around 21,400 people, operator West Japan Railway Co. said.
The electrical outage occurred at around 5:30 a.m., resulting in a total of 50 bullet train services being canceled or partially canceled between Hiroshima and Hakata stations on the Sanyo Shinkansen Line.
A hundred other train services were delayed up to around four hours, according to JR West.
The trouble was due to defects in several insulating components installed between wall and overhead wires in a tunnel between Asa and Shin-Shimonoseki stations in Yamaguchi Prefecture, the operator said.
The suspension also affected train operations on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line, which connects Shin-Osaka and Tokyo stations.
Business travelers overflowed at Hakata, Hiroshima and Shin-Osaka stations, queuing up to change tickets or get refunds at service counters. Some passengers gave up on the delayed trains and instead took flights to their destinations.