Bullet train runs on the Tokaido Shinkansen Line between Tokyo and Shin-Yokohama stations were disrupted for eight hours Tuesday, affecting some 80,000 passengers, after a switch at Tokyo's Shinagawa signal station malfunctioned, railway officials said.
The switch began malfunctioning at 4 a.m., delaying the first runs of the day. Although the switch was repaired by 5:40 a.m., service did not return to normal until noon.
Eighty-eight departures were delayed for up to 1 hour and 40 minutes, including the Shin-Osaka-bound Hikari 211.
Railway officials said rain the previous night may have caused the switch to fail, adding that there were burns from electric sparks on a component inside the motor that moves the switch.